Hyderabad: In what seems like a scene from an action thriller, a wooden log from a truck slipped and fell onto a car travelling in front of it, killing three passengers, all members of the same family, on the NH 65 at Abdullapurmet on Sunday midnight.
Police said that the truck carrying heavy wooden logs was behind the car and going in the same direction. It was speeding and hit the car from behind. The rope tying the logs came loose and one of the logs slipped out and fell on the rear of the car.
Three of the passengers P. Padma, 50, P. Swapna, 35 and her son P. Niytaabhiram, 8, died, while two passengers survived with injuries.
The family had gone to Kothaguda village to attend a function at a relative’s house. They were returning when the accident occurred. P. Shankar, his wife P. Padma, his son P. Harikrishna, his brother P. Krishna’s wife P. Swapna, son P. Nityaabhiram, daughters P. Sahithi and P. Rithwika were travelling in the car.
Harikrishna was driving. His father and Sahithi sat beside him, while the other four sat in the rear seats. The accident occurred after they had reached Kothaguda crossroads, when the vehicle was taking a U turn.
Harikrishna told the police that as he was taking the U turn, the truck rammed into the rear of his car and the log fell on the rear portion of the car, completely crushing the vehicle and killing three persons on the spot. The truck also lost balance and overturned. Abdullapurmet inspector M. Muni said that they are yet to establish how the accident occurred. There were no eye witnesses.
“Rithwika, who was sitting in the rear, was flung to the front due to the sudden jerk from behind, but how it occurred is to be probed further. We are probing all angles. Based on the evidence, the investigation will proceed,” the inspector said. A case of causing death due to negligence and causing injuries was booked against the truck driver who left the vehicle and fled from the spot.
Man survives but wife, sister-in-law, her son perish
Tragedy struck as the family was returning home after attending a function. They were in a jovial mood and discussing the function they had just attended when the lorry piled high with wooden logs hit the rear of the car with such force that one of the passengers in the rear seat of the car was catapulted to the front.
While P. Shankar lost his wife, he escaped unhurt, as did his son Hariskrishna, his brother P. Krishna’s wife and son were killed, though the two daughters survived. One of them, Sahithi, is undergoing treatment but is unconscious.
Harikrishna who was at the wheel escaped unhurt but is in a state of shock, according to his father Shankar. Shankar said, “We had been driving for a few minutes discussing how the function went and about the arrangements, while the kids were about to fall asleep. Suddenly, at the U turn, there was a jolt from behind. The next second Honey (Rithwika) who was sitting in the rear seat, was flung forward and landed on Sahithi, who was sitting beside me. After that everything went blank.
“I somehow came out of the vehicle and went in search of help. My brother Krishna who was in the car behind us with his friend arrived and we tried to pull my wife, sister-in-law and the boy from the car, but it was difficult. After seeing his wife and kid with severe injuries, Krishna fainted on the road. We were all helpless for some time, but hoped that they would be alive. We got the shock of our life when the ambulance arrived and declared all three of them dead.
