Two girls were killed after a container lorry hit the two-wheeler they were riding from behind on Chennai-Bangalore Highway (NH48) in Ambur on Thursday. The police suspect that rash driving by lorry driver S. Jayaseelan, 29, may be the reason for the accident.
The police said on Thursday, D. Jayashree, 16, a Class XI student, and her younger sister, D. Varsha Shri, 11, a class VI student, were riding pillion with their father, V. Dhandapani, 44, when the container lorry, heading to Chennai from Hosur, hit the two-wheeler from behind. The lorry crashed into the steel separator. The children were caught under the wheels while Mr. Dhandapani sustained serious injuries.
The incident happened around 8.30 a.m. Other motorists took Mr. Dhandapani to the Government Taluk Hospital in Ambur. Based on the alert, local police nabbed the lorry driver and shifted the bodies to the government hospital. A case has been registered.
Later, Tirupattur Collector Amar Kushwaha and senior officials visited Mr. Dhandapani in the hospital and assured necessary medical care. Inquiries revealed that the victims, from Sollur village near Ambur, were on their way to a private school in Kannigapuram, where the children studied.
Residents said the slow progress of the ongoing stormwater drain work along the service lane of the highway has reduced the road space for motorists and pedestrians on the accident prone stretch.
Due to the drain work, which the National Highways Authority of India has been doing for nearly a year, walkers and bikers on the service lane have to use the narrow carriageway on the highway. Bus stops, schools and other public utilities, like banks, are also located on the highway, making it more congested, especially during the rush hour. Lack of adequate traffic police personnel at key intersections on the highway also make the stretch more vulnerable for accidents, the residents said.
