In yet another pothole-related accident, a 26-year-old factory worker died after his bike came under a speeding lorry when he tried to avoid a pothole on Sunday morning. His father who sustained minor injuries blamed the pothole for the death. The incident took place at FTI Circle in Peenya Traffic police station limits. The deceased is identified as Shivaputrapppa, a native of Raichur. He was residing at Rajagopalanagar along with his family.
The victim was taking his father Pakeerappa, a daily wage worker, to a nearby hospital for eye test around 9.30 am after he complained of poor vision. They were on their way towards Kanteerava Studio when Shivaputrappa lost control over the bike in a bid to avoid a pothole near Sonal Garments. A case was filed against the lorry driver. He fell on the road and was hit by a lorry coming from behind.
He sustained severe injuries and died on the spot, while Pakeerappa, who was riding pillion, escaped with minor injuries. Police said they will take action against the BBMP if it is established that the pothole caused the death. However,till the filing of the report,no case registered against BBMP for not maintaining the road.
Father of the factory worker, who died in a bid to avoid a pothole on the street in Peenya area, also holds apathy of BBMP officials responsible for his son’s death.
“In a bid to avoid the pothole, my son took a sudden right turn and the bike skidded. He fell on the right while I was grounded on the opposite side. The lorry ran over him in front of my eyes and BBMP officials must be held responsible for his death,” Pakeerappa told cops.
A senior police officer told Express: “I found a pothole during my spot inspection. However, in the complaint, the family did not mention anything about the pothole. We are investigating the case and if death due to poor road condition is confirmed, we will taken action against the officials”.
Peenya traffic police earlier rushed to the spot and conducted spot mahazar. Shivaputrapppa’s body was later sent for postmortem. Lorry driver Hanumantharayappa was arrested on charge of negligence driving.
The incident also threw traffic out of gear for sometime.