Chennai: A lorry from Andhra laden with steel rolls ran over a water tanker being pulled by a tractor and moving ahead of it on Minjur - Thiruvottiyur Highroad in neighbouring Tiruvallur district on Monday morning. The driver and cleaner of the tractor were crushed to death in the accident. The double fatality appalled the village. The deceased were identified as Sudhakar (30) and Saranraj (28), both residents of Nandiyambakkam village in Minjur.
The tractor was passing by Pungaped village when the lorry running out of control rammed the trailer from behind. The two occupants of the tractor were heading towards Minjur after having supplied drinking water to a string of eateries and restaurants located along the Thiruvottiyur high road at around 5.30 am. The collision upset the tractor-trailer and the lorry kept dragging it along with Sudhakar and Saranjraj on it and the two came under the lorry's wheels. They died on the spot.
Fearing the wrath of mob justice, the lorry driver abandoned the vehicle and scooted away from the spot. Passersby alerted Minjur Police who rushed to the scene and removed the wrecked vehicles. The bodies were moved to Ponneri GH for post-mortem. A case was registered and efforts are on to trace the absconding driver.
“It is still unclear how the lorry driver. We will send the lorry for inspection whether there was any brake failure. It is more likely the driver would have dozed off at the wheels of the lorry, which could have led to the accident,” said a senior police official.
