Daijiworld Media Network – Kaup (MS)

Kaup, Jan 11: A pedestrian was killed on the spot after being hit by a speeding car near the auto-rickshaw stand in Ucchila town on NH 66.

The deceased, Srinivasa Thonithaya (72), was a retired employee of Elluru Vishweshwara Temple and a resident of Kunjoor. He had visited Ucchila with relatives on Friday morning and was crossing the road when a car traveling at high speed from Udupi to Mangaluru struck him. Srinivasa succumbed to the impact of the collision instantly.

The Ucchila SDPI ambulance transported his body to the PHC mortuary in Padubidri.

Tragically, Srinivasa had previously lost his only son, Harish Thonithaya, in a road accident years ago during a tour of North India with a seer of Ashta Math, Udupi.

Srinivasa is survived by his wife and daughter.

NH 66 has increasingly become an accident-prone zone, and Ucchila town is growing rapidly. However, the area lacks proper safety measures. There are no barricades at the junction, streetlights are poorly maintained, and visibility at night remains inadequate. The absence of signboards or reflectors further endangers pedestrians crossing the road.