Lorry rams bus shelter

The police said the rashly-driven lorry had tried to overtake the goods autorickshaw when the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit it. “It then crashed into the bus shelter and came to a halt finally by ramming into a closed shop,” the police said.

Four persons, identified as R. Murugan, 65, a daily wage earner, his wife, M. Kalamani (45), and his relative S. Amsaveni (35), all from Appanaickenpatti Pudur village, near Sulur, and S. Thirumurugan (25), a college student from Thiruvalluvar Nagar at Ondipudur, were injured in the mishap. They were waiting at the stop to take a bus to reach Udayampalayam when the mishap happened around 12.30 pm.

Auto driver K. Senthilnathan (43), a resident of Pallapalayam, and his wife S. Jayanthi (32), who was in the vehicle, also suffered injuries. When the lorry hit from behind, the goods autorickshaw heading to Singanallur, rammed a lamp post.

The injured persons are now undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore medical college and hospital (CMCH). A few two-wheelers parked near the shelter were also damaged in the accident.

Traffic was disrupted for more than an hour due to the mishap. The lorry driver, whose identity is yet to be known, is absconding and a search is on by the police to nab him. The public, who thronged the spot, said the bus shelter should be shifted elsewhere from near the bridge.

“Vehicles moving down the bridge normally come down fast, which increases the risk of such mishaps. As it was a Sunday, the shops remained closed and there were fewer people in the shelter,” said R. Venkatraman, a resident of Kamathchipuram. The Singanallur police have registered a case and are on the look-out for the lorry driver.