Latest News For 'Chennai Road Accidents'
December 28th, 2006
Pattukottai: Eight persons were killed and 23 others injured when a State Transport Corporation bus going from Nagapattinam to Thondi fell into the Nasuviniyar river at Anaikadu, eight km from Pattukottai, in Thanjavur district, in the early hours on Wednesday.
The bus hit the bridge’s wall and fell into the flowing river. Weeds in the river, mud, flowing water and darkness made things worse for the passengers.
Seven died on the spot while one died on the way to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
While the driver, Ilango, escaped with minor injuries, the conductor, P. Pakkirisamy (40), was killed on the spot.
Driver surrenders
Ilango, who surrendered at the Pattukottai police station, said he felt the front wheel slipping into a pit on the side of the bridge and before he could turn it, the bus hit the wall and fell into the river.
The driver came out of the bus and reached the bridge. He informed a person, who came on a two-wheeler, about the accident.
The person passed on the message to the police, hospital and fire service on his cell phone.
Police and fire service personnel arrived at the spot and carried out rescue operations.
The dead and the injured were shifted to Pattukottai Government Hospital. Eight seriously injured were moved to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
According to an injured passenger, when the accident happened, the conductor was talking to the driver and those who died were in back seats.
The dead were identified as Rengammal, wife of Rasapakkiyam of Thamarankottai; Seerangam (50) of Rasiyankadu; Ramachandran (50) of Samanthanpettai Nadutheru, Nagapattinam; Jayabal of Muthupettai; Sellaiyan (62) of Munumangollai Mannankadu; Pakkirisamy, bus conductor, Rice Mill Street of Paravachery; Karuppaiyan of Thambikottai and Pavunammal of Akkaraipettai.
C. Vijayarajkumar, Thanjavur Collector, Anand Kumar Somani, Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur, and M. Ayyasamy, District Fire Officer, visited the spot.
Fire service personnel led by M. Mohammed Haneef, station officer, Pattukottai, rescued fifteen persons.
Source: The Hindu(Chennai-epaper)
December 26th, 2006
TAMBARAM: Four persons were injured, one of them critically, when they were hit by a police vehicle driven by a 21-year-old Friends of Police volunteer in St. Thomas Mount in the early hours on Monday. The injured had just completed their Christmas mass and were returning home.
Santhi, 43, Mahesh, 15, Carmel, 34 and Reshma, 7, were among a large number of devotees who took part in the Christmas mass at Wesley’s Church and were on their way home. A Toyota Qualis patrol vehicle belonging to the All-Women Police Station of St. Thomas Mount ran amok after its driver lost control and hit a section of them. The four were injured and admitted at a private hospital in Porur, police said, adding one of them was critical. The accident took place at the intersection of Butt Road and Church Road.
Thamizhvanan, 21, who was driving the vehicle, is reported to have abandoned the vehicle and fled from the spot.
St. Thomas Mount police, later, arrested him and booked cases under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. Police said the vehicle was coming down the slope and the youth is reported to have lost control after noticing the crowd.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the youth had pressed the accelerator pedal instead of applying brakes, according to police, who said that the youth was a FoP volunteer attached to the Nandambakkam police station.
The women Inspector of the police station was also present in the vehicle when the accident took place. The usual driver was on duty all day on Sunday and was relieved only in the evening. As the Inspector from this police station was on night rounds duty, the FoP volunteer’s services were required. There were frayed tempers at the scene of accident, but agitated devotees were pacified after senior officers intervened.
The police said the acute shortage of police drivers forced personnel to engage private drivers or volunteers from Friends of Police. They said while sanctioning vehicles, be it for officers, police stations or other wings, the State Government also had to allot two drivers per vehicle.
But only one driver from the armed reserve police was allotted and the personnel had to manage by roping in a driver from the local police stations. However, making use of the services of private drivers and volunteers was not permitted, police said. They made it clear that only police drivers could drive regular or patrol vehicles.
Source:The Hindu(Chennai-epaper)
December 4th, 2006
CHENNAI: After the near total eradication of polio in the country, road accidents turn out to be the major cause of permanent physical disability, Minister for Social Welfare Poongothai said on Sunday.
Concerned at the rise in the number of accidents, the State Government has decided to lay emphasis on creating safety awareness, she told a function organised by the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, K.K. Nagar, to mark the World Disabled Day.
Distributing wheelchairs and artificial limbs to the disabled, Dr. Poongothai said that while polio had been nearly eradicated through the pulse polio immunisation programme, the only way to prevent accidents was through awareness.
Her department, she told The Hindu later, was planning to conduct a workshop on road safety. The other major causes for permanent physical disability were landmines and diabetes. “Every 30 seconds [on an average], a diabetes patient around the world had his leg amputated,” the Minister said. Further, experts estimated that one in every three people in the world would be diabetic in the next 15 years.
Dr. Poongothai said more than the provision of aid to the disabled, preventing the causes was important. The need was to improve the living standards.
Prizes given away
The Minister also distributed prizes to the winners of the competitions organised by the Institute as part of the World Disabled Day.
Encroachments
Chennai Corporation councillor K. Dhanasekaran said encroachment on the land near the hospital for parking of private vehicles, which existed for several years, were removed recently. Private security guards were being deployed in the hospital. Institute director (in charge) V.S. Mahendran said a seminar and several competitions were organised.
Source:http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/04/stories/2006120402860500.htm
October 5th, 2006
CHENNAI : Seven people were killed in road accidents in the city and its peripheries between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.
The accidents occurred in Villivakkam, Guindy, Pulianthope, Madhavaram among other areas.
Police said a victim knocked down by a lorry in Tirumangalam police station limits was yet to be identified.
A 20-year-old boy, Satyaraj of Guindy, was killed on the spot, when a speeding MTC bus knocked him down on Raj Bhavan Road.
The police have arrested driver Selvarasu.
In another accident, a milk vendor Ragavan, proceeding in his two-wheeler was hit by a car dashed in Muthukadu. He died on the spot.
An engineering college student, Gowrishankar, riding a two-wheeler died when a lorry knocked him down him in Madhavaram.
In Villivakkam, a mini-lorry, after hitting a stationary lorry knocked down a man standing on the road. The victim was identified as Kothandaraman (42) of Ambattur. A speeding lorry hit a two-wheeler rider who died on the spot in Old Vannarpet area. Police investigations revealed that the victim was Rahim Mohideen and was dealing in garment business.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar said preliminary investigations revealed that the two-wheeler riders were not wearing helmets.
The lorries seized would be examined to find out whether they had valid fitness certificates and whether they were involved in any fatal accidents in the past. He also did not rule out cancellation of driving licences of the rash drivers.
Source:http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/05/stories/2006100516000300.htm
