CHENNAI: A 13-year-old girl who was travelling in an autorickshaw with her parents, from Tiruvallur to Chennai, was killed after the vehicle overturned after it was hit by two cows fighting on the road. Her parents also suffered injuries, but are out of danger.The girl was identified as C Ruth Sophia, a Class 9 student, from Rajammal Street in Chetpet. Her father Charles (48) is an autorickshaw driver and her mother Mary Shyla (40) works as a domestic help.
On Tuesday, the family visited Mary Shyla’s family in Thiruvalangadu village in the Tiruvallur district. On the return journey, around 9 pm, when their auto driven by Charles was crossing Thozhur village along the Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road, two cows were fighting on the road. The bike riders managed to evade them. Charles, who waited a while for the fight to end, also tried to cross from a corner, however, the fighting cows hit the auto with such brute force that Charles lost control and the vehicle overturned to the left. Ruth Sophia who was seated on the left suffered grievous injuries, said the police. Passersby managed to chase away the cows and rushed the family to a nearby hospital.
Sophia was later shifted to Tiruvallur Government Hospital, where she succumbed to injuries. Avadi traffic investigation police registered a case and began an investigation.Tiruvallur district witnessed 17 accidents due to stray cattle in 2021 and at least 10 accidents in 2022. To prevent such accidents, the police and the district administration instructed cattle owners not to let the bovines wander on the road, failing which they would be imprisoned for up to three years and slapped with a fine of `5,000 as per the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds in Urban Areas (Control and Regulation) Act, 1997.