Goa Thar Crash Accused's Mom: "Son Wasn't Drunk, Man Who Died Had Heart Attack"

The mother of Shaurya Goyal - the 19-year-old accused of driving the rented Mahindra Thar that rammed a Hyundai i20 in Goa - has claimed the man who died did so because of a heart attack.

Shilpi Goyal also claimed the ambulance being delayed by 45 minutes contributed to the death.

She also argued Shaurya - who lives in Delhi's Hauz Khas neighbourhood, sources close to the investigation told NDTV - deserved credit for not trying to escape responsibility.

"My son went to Goa with his school friends and I was fully aware of it (i.e., his trip). (After the accident) he cooperated with the police investigation and is out on bail," Goyal told NDTV.

"My son was not drunk. A breathalyser test was done and my son was found negative," she also said, arguing the boy had been "deeply traumatised" by the "very unfortunate" incident.

"We have sent him to the counsellor," she said.

The tragic incident took place Monday, police have said.

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Shaurya Goyal has been arrested.

The man who died was 65-year-old Bhagat Ram, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal and was travelling with members of his family in the i20 hatchback, which was also a rented vehicle.

Two other people in the car received medical aid for minor injuries.

Shaurya Gupta was driving Mahindra Thar, police said

Miraculously a baby, just five months old, escaped unharmed.

Eyewitnesses alleged occupants of the Thar tried to switch seats after the collision.

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Videos shared online showed a male occupant of the Thar on the phone after the accident.

He seemed to be saying "Papa, I was at the intersection..." before the voice fades. Three women can be seen in the rear seats of the damaged vehicle. Locals who witnessed the crash have claimed the Thar's occupants tried to shield the driver - allegedly a woman - from responsibility.

Both cars were wrecked in the collision

Authorities are examining CCTV footage from a nearby traffic junction to determine who actually was driving the Thar at the time of the impact. The vehicle remains in police custody.

The police have, however, named Shaurya Goyal as the driver and primary accused in a FIR, or first information report, seen by NDTV. The copy seen by NDTV stated Goyal was driving in a "rash and negligent manner without proper care and caution endangering human life."