Four persons were killed after a car hit a tractor from behind on the Tindivanam - Tiruvannamalai Road (SH-5), which is maintained by the State Highways, near a private arts and science college Somasipadi village near Kilpennathur town in Tiruvannamalai in the early hours on February 22.
Police identified the persons in the car as H. Azhagan (32) and K. Pandian (27) of Villupuram and S. Prakash (34) and K. Chiranjeevi (40) off Vellore. Except Prakash, who drove the car, the other three passengers died on the spot.
The tractor was driven by M. Poongavanam (42), a local farmer in Ettayapuram village in Tiruvannamalai taluk. He sustained minor injuries whereas G. Krishnan (50), who accompanied him, succumbed to injuries at the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town, around 10 kms from the accident spot.
Police said around 2.45 a.m. Prakash, along with his three friends, were coming from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh for the marriage of Pandian’s younger sister, K. Kalaiselvi, in the village when he lost control of his vehicle and hit the tractor from behind. The tractor was coming from Tiruvannamalai town to Kilpennathur to carry farm produce from the village. In the impact, three persons in the car died on the spot.
Immediately, passerby and other motorists rescued the injured persons. They also alerted Kilpennathur police and 108 ambulances. Injured persons were shifted to the government hospital in Tiruvannamalai town. Their condition is said to be out of danger.
Meanwhile, traffic was hit on the narrow highway for more than an hour with vehicles lined up for at least two kilometres distance as it is the shortest route for buses from southern States and Puducherry to reach Bengaluru, Hosur, Salem and Coimbatore. Tiruvannamalai SP K. Karthikeyan inspected the spot and directed police to regulate the traffic. Police said that narrow carriageway on the stretch coupled with rash driving might have been the reason for the accident. A probe is underway.
