Pics: Joshwa D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)

Mangaluru, Feb 16: In what could have been a tragedy if immediate action had not been taken, the driver of a truck carrying concrete mixer rammed into an electric pole at Kadri Kambala road here on Tuesday February 16, forcing the authorities to close the road for traffic for sometime.

The impact of the accident was such that the electricity pole broke and its 11 kv wires got entangled in the rotor of the concrete mixer, causing sparks to fly all over. The driver who grew frightened ran away from the spot leaving the engines on.

A man who was witness to the accident, displaying admirable presence of mind, climbed into the truck and stopped the engine as well as the rotor of the mixer before any harm was done.

The accident caused some panic as people were seen running helter skelter fearing that sparks would start a fire. The electric pole that broke was close to a house, but luckily no damage was reported.

Apart from the broken electric pole, another pole also got bent due to the impact.

The Mescom officials who rushed to the spot cut off the electric supply and prevented further damage.

The local corporator and the police also arrived at the spot and took precautionary measures by closing the road from both sides until the truck was cleared.

The exact cause for the accident is not known, but police suspect that the driver may have been drunk, as speeding is not possible in the stretch due to a presence of a speed breaker just metres away from the accident spot.

Some of the locals said that in a bid to give way to another vehicle, the driver veered to the side and collided with the electricity pole.

Based on a complaint by Mescom junior engineer, a case has been registered in Kadri police.