The death toll at the accident-prone curve near the Elamkulam metro station on SA Road hit the double-digit after a young motorist lost his life in an accident on Wednesday. Another was seriously injured.
The deceased was identified as Sanil Sathyan, 21, of Karimkunnam in Thodupuzha. He is the 10th accident victim at the infamous curve. The tragedy comes hardly a week after the death of two young motorbike riders.
The accident occurred at 6.10 a.m. Sanal Shaji, 21, of Thodupuzha, who rode the bike remains admitted to the intensive care unit at Medical Trust Hospital with head injuries and a fractured leg.
The deceased was the second pillion rider, while another pillion rider, Manu, who was sandwiched between the two, escaped unscathed. All three were hostel mates doing a network course at an academy in the city.
“They were returning from the Vyttila side to their hostel near Chilavannoor. They might have been speeding and might have failed to manoeuvre the curve, resulting in the skidding of the motorcycle, which is usually how accidents take place in the area. The victim probably got thrown off the vehicle and slammed his head against the road leading to his instant death. It is not clear whether the pillion riders were wearing helmets,” said sources in the South police who registered a case.
The most accident-prone spot in the city has now witnessed nine fatal accidents since September 2020. All but one victim (an autorickshaw driver who died after he lost control of his vehicle) were young two-wheeler riders, and all the accidents took place at night, making it the first accident to happen in the area in the morning.
In the light of a spree of fatal and non-fatal accidents at the curve between metro pillars 819 and 826, the police had in December 2020 directed Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to install reflective sign boards and cat’s eye reflectors to enhance the visibility of road markings.
The City police have sought the help of the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) to identify potential issues and suggest remedial measures. The police have already increased their presence in the area.
The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has also sought the permission of the Traffic Advisory Committee to deploy Artificial Intelligence-aided, number plate recognition, and speed detection cameras at the locale, to rein in accidents.
