A lorry driver was burned to death in a horrific accident involving two trucks at Vijayapura near Devanahalli on the outskirts of the city late on Thursday. The deceased, Vasanth Kumar, 28, was driving from Bagepalli, where he resided, towards Bengaluru with a load of cement.
At Vijayapura, another speeding lorry, also laden with cement, tried to overtake Kumar. The two vehicles rammed into each other, with the second lorry hitting the side of Kumar’s truck. The impact was so huge that his lorry skipped the median and toppled onto the opposite lane.
Before anyone could approach the lorry, it caught fire. According to motorists, the intensity of the fire prevented them from attempting to rescue Kumar. He was trapped in the driver’s cabin where he died. Two fire tenders rushed to the spot and put out the fire, but by then it was too late to save him.
The police suspect that the collision had damaged the fuel tank. “When the two lorries rammed into each other, the fuel tank in Kumar’s truck got damaged, and diesel spilt out. It caught fire owing to the friction between the two lorries,” the police said.
The second driver, later identified as Velu, was also injured in the accident. On impact, he was thrown out of the driver’s seat through the windshield. Passersby rescued him from the fire. “He was fortunate to escape with minor injuries. He has been booked for causing death due to negligence and arrested,” said the police.
