CHENNAI: A 38-year-old woman with a disability died in a freak accident after a tree fell on an auto-rickshaw in which she was travelling on North Boag Road in T Nagar on Saturday evening.The deceased was identified as Surya Arasakumar, a resident of West Mada Street in Nungambakkam. She worked at the Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC) at Nandanam, and was heading back home when the tragedy occurred.
Police said the accident took place near a private chit fund office on North Boag Road. The 40-year-old tree got uprooted and crushed the autorickshaw and its occupants in it. The driver, Sekar, managed to escape when the tree fell on the vehicle, but Surya, who has a walking disability, got stuck in the back seat.
Inspector of police K Murali and local residents tried to lift the tree, but were unsuccessful. A crane was brought to lift the tree to rescue her. Police sent her to Government Royapettah Hospital (GRH), where doctors declared her dead on arrival.