On Monday, a 10-year-old boy was knocked down by school van in Besant Nagar
A 10-year-old girl was crushed to death after she came under the wheels of a lorry on her way to school on Friday.
The victim, N. Vishali, was a class IV student of a private school in Anna Pillai Street, Kothavalchavadi.
In a similar accident that took place in Besant Nagar on Monday, a 10-year-old schoolboy died after he was knocked down by a private van operated by his school.
On Friday, around 8.45 a.m., Vishali and her father Nagalingam (36), a lathe worker, left their house on Abirami Avenue, Kanadasan Nagar in Kodungaiyur. They were headed to Vishali’s school.
Around 9 a.m., when they reached Centre Avenue junction on MKB Nagar, a speeding garbage lorry entered the main road from the left.
“The driver took a swift right and rammed Nagalingam’s scooter throwing him and the child on the road. The girl came under the rear wheels of the lorry,” said a traffic investigation officer.
The vehicle, on contract with the Chennai Corporation, was driven by Srinivasan (48) of Sholavaram.
Meanwhile, Nagalingam, who escaped with minor injuries, rushed his daughter to Government Stanley Hospital in an autorickshaw. But she could not be saved. Doctors declared her brought dead.
Speaking to The Hindu, Vishali’s uncle, Udayakumar, said his niece usually travelled to school in an autorickshaw accompanied by her mother Adukkumalli and brother, Devesh (12).
“On Friday, her brother left home early with his mother to attend his half-yearly exams. So, Nagalingam decided to drop his daughter to school,” he said.
After the accident, residents of MKB Nagar staged a brief agitation. Speeding vehicles had proved to be grave risks for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, they said.
“The condition of roads has worsened after the rains and the traffic police personnel are rarely sighted at this busy junction,” a shopkeeper said.
Keywords: garbage lorry accident, schoolgirl's death, Kothavalchavadi
It is cruel to see a young innocent life is robbed and denied!
India is long way to go for good quality living with minimum safety standards due to the failure of politicians who are only interested in corruption, swindling money and dynasty politics.
The courts should punish these rogue drivers severely to set as a precedent for others to drive carefully. When more and more people are moving to urban areas and the roads are not ready for that, it is going to be very painful life for many.
Very sad. Unnecessary loss of a young life. Will we ever realise the value of careful driving? It always amazes me that someone can emerge from a side road into a main road without even looking to the left! My dad often argues that it is not possible to follow lane discipline in a country like India because of the density of population, but I tell him that the way we drive on road just reflects our attitude (e.g. I need to get to my destination as soon as possible, I don't care about the others, I always have a right of way). Loss of a child is always traumatic, and one that leaves a wound that never heals with time. My thoughts are with the family.
Please Email the Editor