TIRUPATI: A road accident at Dharmapuram in Nagari Mandal, Chittoor district, claimed four lives and injured eight more, four of them in a critical condition.
The mishap occurred on Friday when a speeding cement-laden truck lost control, triggering a chain response, with involvement of a mini-truck, a motorcycle, a car and some road workers.
According to Nagari Circle Inspector BN Suresh, the cement bulker, bearing registration plate KA 5 AC 7974, collided with a stationary Tata Ace vehicle parked on the newly laid road for painting work.
“The bulk-loaded truck’s collision set off a series of collisions as it ploughed into the workers, an oncoming two-wheeler and a car. The truck was running at an alarming speed on its way to Chennai,” police said.
Among those who lost their lives were a father, Bhupalan (31) riding a two-wheeler, and his two sons -- Nitin (4) and Umesh (2). They hailed from Mittapalem in Nagari Mandal. The boys’ mother, Lilavati, who was also on the two-wheeler, sustained severe injuries and was hospitalized in Tirupati.
One of the four road workers present on the scene too lost his life. He was Kannan (38) from Tamil Nadu’s Vellore. Three other road workers suffered serious injuries. Four persons traveling in the car suffered minor injuries.
The local police arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call and shifted the injured to hospitals in Nagari and Tirupati. “We registered a case and took the driver, Sridharan, into custody. The cement bulk-load truck carried a load of 40 tonnes from Kadapa,” police told Deccan Chronicle.
