Despite wearing helmets, 3 motorists die in mishaps

Chennai: Three motorists, despite wearing helmets, were killed in similar mishaps in city’s different parts  on Wednesday after trucks ran over them. A twenty-year-old man was killed after an oil tanker knocked his two-wheeler from behind on Velachery main road near Aquatic complex on Wednesday morning. The deceased, B. Selvaraj is a cab driver and was on his way to work when the mishap occurred.

The deceased is a resident of Kannagi Nagar, Thoraipakkam. Police said that Selvaraj died despite wearing a helmet. Around 9.45 am, Selvaraj was travelling towards Halda junction when the oil truck hit his two-wheeler. His body came under the truck’s left rear wheel and was killed on the spot.  Police took Selvaraj’s body and moved it to Government Royapettah hospital for post-mortem and it was handed over to the family members later in the evening.

In another incident in Sholinganallur, 27-year-old S.Ramanathan, a native of Pallipattu, Villupuram district was killed after an Eicher lorry ran over him. Around 6 pm, Ramanathan was riding along the Rajiv Gandhi Salai when his bike skid and he fell. A truck, which was trailing Ramanathan, crushed his head, killing him on the spot. The deceased was wearing a helmet. Guindy traffic investigation wing have registered cases in both the incidents and arrested the truck drivers for rash and negligent driving.  

The duo became an addition to the unlucky statistic of those killed in two wheeler accidents in the city this year in spite of wearing helmets. According to statistics provided by the city police, “Of the 227 people killed in two wheeler accidents until June this year, four have died in spite of wearing helmets.” In a third incident, a 26-year-old motorist  wearing helmet was run over by a steel laden lorry in Ambattur Industrial Estate on Wednesday night.

Police said Palaniappan, (26), a native of Visuvasapuram, Tiruchy, was working here in a private tube manufacturing company in Avadi, and was staying with his friends and working. Around 7 pm, Palaniappan who was riding towards Ashoka Pillar on Ambit Park road in Ambattur Industrial Estate and a lorry which overtook him knocked the rider down. He came under the front left wheel of the lorry and died on the spot. Poonamallee Traffic Investigation recovered the body and moved it Kilpauk medical college hospital for a post-mortem. Lorry driver was arrested.