'God saved me'
08Jul08
Lying in his hospital bed, crash survivor Torqueer Khullar believes that he is alive because of destiny.
DESTINY caused the car accident that killed two Indian students in Preston earlier this month, says crash survivor Torqueer Khullar (pictured).
A committed Hindu, Mr Khullar, 22, believes "karma" played a part in the events that led to the crash in which his flatmates Abhishek Singh, 22, and Prashant Sharma, 26, died instantly when their late-model Ford Falcon spun out of control in High St last month.
"I'm still alive because God has saved me," the gently spoken 22-year-old La Trobe University student said.
"I guess I've lived well in this life or my parents have done well."
Mr Khullar, who was sitting in the back of the vehicle, sustained severe injuries, including a broken femur and a shattered wrist, which are now held together with a metal rod and steel plates. Speaking from his hospital bed in Bundoora, the frail Mr Khullar said losing his two best friends had made him grow up fast.
"It only takes one second to lose your life," he said.
Mr Khullar said he had been studying for accounting exams at a friend's place throughout the night of Friday, June 13, when Abhishek called him about 4am to celebrate his 22nd birthday with a drive to the nearby McDonald's in Bell St.
He said the three men were travelling south along High St, Preston, when the car sped up to overtake a car at the corner of Murray Rd and High St.
But the vehicle spun out of control when Abhishek attempted to correct the path of the car to avoid a road divider.
Drizzly weather and driver inexperience also contributed to the accident, Mr Khullar said.
He said Abhishek had not been drinking and that it would have been out of character for him to drink-drive because of the threat of being "deported back to India" if he broke the law.
Darebin police Insp Tess Walsh said police were still investigating and it was too early to comment on the cause of the accident.
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