Not long after the tragic death of two persons at Kempapura Junction in Hebbal, some others had a close shave on Wednesday morning when a speeding sand-laden truck ran amok. Two persons, including a 45-year-old woman, suffered injuries and eight vehicles were damaged.
According to the police, the accident took place around 8.15 a.m. while vehicles had halted at the junction to allow pedestrians to cross the road. A truck coming from Yelahanka rammed into a car before hitting other vehicles, including autorickshaws and two-wheelers.
Two motorcyclists, Ganeshan (32) and Leena Dey (45), sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby private hospital.
Hebbal traffic police rushed to the spot and arrested truck driver Narayana. Preliminary investigations revealed that there was no technical problem with the vehicle. It appeared that Narayana was driving in a rash and negligent manner and failed to slow down while alighting the flyover, which is just before the junction.
The road, which connects the city to Kempegowda International Airport, is a busy one. Nearly 100 vehicles pass the junction every minute. Around 40,000 people cross the road at the junction every day due to the presence of several commercial establishments, schools and colleges, garment industries and private firms. A senior police officer said that the junction is considered a ‘sensitive zone’.
On February 27, a 19-year-old student of Sindhi College and employee of a private firm were killed by a speeding water tanker. Several other pedestrians were hit by the truck and suffered injuries. It triggered protests and resulted in a promise to build a skywalk.
Around six month ago, a rag-picker and her child were killed at the same spot.
