Sudden impact

IT was the eighth day of Chinese New Year. Amidst the celebrations, six friends decided to go out for a spin. It turned out to be a fateful night. Young and reckless, the driver, who had just passed his driving test six months ago, made a fatal mistake. The car ended in a ditch. The driver was unscathed, but the other five were not so lucky.  

One died on the spot. Another died on the operating table. The other three suffered an assortment of fractures. One had a fractured tibia; another suffered a badly mangled right arm that had to be amputated just below the shoulder; the last one suffered multiple fractures to both legs and the left arm. It was to be a slow recovery.