Two women — a 28-year-old pregnant woman and her neighbour— were killed on the spot when a speeding truck ran over them while they were crossing the road close to Narayana Hrudayalaya on the Hosur-Bengaluru highway on Thursday (November 2). Another woman who was accompanying them escaped narrowly.
The deceased have been identified as P. Rukhiya, 28, a native of Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, and Lakshmamma, 50, from Varthur, Bengaluru. Rukhiya was seven months pregnant and had come with her relatives Rabiya and Lakshmamma to consult the doctor, the police said.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 11 a.m. when the three women got down at the bus stop and were crossing the highway through a gap in the barricade close to the hospital when they were knocked down by a speeding truck. The two women came under the moving truck and were killed on the spot. Rabiya escaped narrowly and filed a complaint with the police later.
The Hebbagodi police rushed to the spot and arrested the truck driver, charging him with death due to negligence and rash and negligent driving.
Very few use skywalk
The police said though there is a skywalk, very few people prefer to use it, and a majority of them cross the road at their own risk. “This is because a majority of the road users are women and patients who cannot afford to climb the stairs of the skywalk,” a police officer said. Besides, the skywalk is situated away from the bus stop, due to which many people find a gap in the barricades and cross the road, the officer added.
“Despite reminders and deploying police to prevent jaywalking, people prefer to cross the road on the highway, endangering their lives. It is high time that the skywalk should be enabled with an elevator which can help people, especially patients, use the skywalk and prevent accidents,” he added.
