CHENNAI: A 23-year-old man died and his friend suffered injuries when their bike hit a metal barricade on bridge and plunged into the railway tracks 70 feet below near the Basin Bridge railway station early on Sunday.
While the police said they were drunk and were not wearing a helmet, the plunge could have been facilitated by the lack of the sidewall on the bridge, where the accident took place.
The accident happened around 4:30 am when Livingston Daniel, a resident of Rajamangalam, who was riding the bike with Karthi (23), a resident of Old Washermanpet, on the pillion, was heading towards the railway bridge.
As he approached a sharp curve, Daniel lost control and hit the temporary metal barricade on the side before his bike fell onto the railway tracks below.
Daniel suffered grievous head injuries and died on the spot, while Karthi sustained leg injuries and was admitted to a nearby private hospital. Their sports bike was damaged beyond recognition. The bridge had only temporary metal barricades on one side as the original side wall was demolished recently to construct a new one. While the bridge is maintained by the highways department, the side walls above the railway tracks are maintained by the Railways.
‘’Youth nowadays go for parties late in the night and ride their vehicles back home in an inebriated condition. We put a lot of check-posts to nab such people, but accidents still happen,’’ said a police official involved with the investigation. A case has been registered and a probe is on.