A man died and his son and daughter were seriously injured when their car collided with a schoolbus after being hit from behind by another car at Marampally near Perumbavoor along the Aluva-Perumbavoor KSRTC route around 9.30 a.m. on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Joseph Chacko, 52, of Idukki. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. His daughter Nithya Maria Joseph, 25, and son Nithin Jose, 18, were critically injured in the accident, said the Perumbavoor police.
The driver of the car which caused the accident through his allegedly reckless driving fled the scene, leaving the car behind. The police have identified the accused who is reportedly from near Muvattupuzha and made arrangements to produce him at the station on Tuesday.
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Accused chased
According to the police, the accused was being chased by people after he had hit a scooter, knocking down a local panchayat member at Manjapetty and sped away in the direction of Aluva.
“Probably, he was anxious to get away before being caught by the people chasing him and in the haste, hit the ill-fated car ahead of him. Under the impact, the car collided with the schoolbus coming from the opposite direction, leading to the fatal injury. The car that caused the accident came to a halt after hitting an old building,” said the police.
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All three were rushed to the hospital where the victim succumbed to the injuries while the injured were referred to another private hospital in Kochi.
Case registered
The police have registered a case invoking IPC Sections 279 (rash driving) 304A (causing death by negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
The car was seized by the police.