Daijiworld Media Network - Sullia (SP)

Sullia, Mar 26: A man and this three-month old child died in an accident which happened on the night of Saturday March 25 at Aletty in the taluk on Mani-Mysuru road. The accident happened after an autorickshaw hit the punctured tyre of a container that had been kept beside the vehicle that was parked for repairs.

The accident happened in front of the sawmill at Aramboor. Chittranjan from Peraje Adka and his three-month-old daughter, Liya, lost their lives.

Chittaranjan along with his wife, Manjula and child, lliya, had left for Mangaluru for conducting a health check of Liya at a hospital there. When the family returned to Sullia, it was already 9.30 pm. As there was no bus facility to Peraje at that time, they called Guddappa alias Seetaram from Peraje, a rickshaw operator, who they knew well.

At the same time, a container, one of the tyres of which had been punctured, had been parked by the roadside. Its driver and cleaner were fixing the new tyre, and they had kept aside the tyre they had removed, beside the vehicle. The tyre kept on the road was not visible to the autorickshaw driver, who reached the spot at about 10.15 pm, from a distance. When the autorickshaw reached close to where the vehicle was parked, the driver suddenly noticed the tyre on his path and tried to divert the three-wheeler. The vehicle hit the tyre and the people seated inside the autorickshaw were thrown out onto the road.

The child, as a result, breathed its last on the spot. Chittaranjan, who was critically injured, died on the way to Sullia hospital. His wife, Manjula, whose nature of injuries was minor, was treated as an outpatient. The driver escaped and a case stands registered at the police station here.

Chittaranjan used to direct short films at Bengaluru and was on a visit to his native place since the last two months. He had married two months back.

Many have rued about the injuries and loss of lives caused by heavy vehicles parked by the roadside at night on this road without any warning signal for oncoming vehicles. They have demanded strict action against vehicles that are callously parked on or by the roadside, posing danger to road users.