A 32-year-old motorist was killed in an accident on Korukkupet– Ennore High Road on Friday when a goods lorry rammed his motorcycle, throwing him on the road, and ran over him.
The accident took place near Vaidyanathan bridge in Korukkupet of north Chennai. The lorry driver may have been driving rashly, resulting in the accident, the police said.
Around 8 a.m. on Friday, S. Bhaskar, an employee of a private stainless steel company in Korukkupet, was on his way to work when a lorry coming from Mannady hit his motorcycle from behind. Bhaskar fell on the road and the lorry ran over him.
Passers-by and other motorists rushed to the spot and nabbed the lorry driver, K. Subramanian (43), a native of Tanjore, before he could flee.
The traffic police shifted Bhaskar to the Government Stanley Hospital where the doctors said he was brought dead. A case was registered under IPC section 304 A (negligent driving) by the Tondiarpet traffic police.
The two-km-long Korukkupet–Ennore High Road is 60 feet wide and connects several areas, including Korukkupet, Tondiarpet, Kodungaiyur and Ennore, to the city. The stretch, maintained by the State highways, is a busy road and frequented by hundreds of oil tankers that transport fuel from nearly a dozen oil companies in north Chennai to other parts of the city.
However, in recent times, the stretch has narrowed due to encroachments by petty shops. The situation is worse between Vaidhyanathan bridge and the railway level-crossing, a distance of around 500 metres, and results in traffic chaos during morning and evening hours.
“At least, the stretch between these two points should be restored to its original width to prevent accidents,” said K. Sekar, a motorist.