CHENNAI: A 55-year-old man and his two-and-a-half-year-old grandson were killed on the spot after the carrier door of a speeding mini-lorry fell on the autorickshaw they were travelling near Padappai in Kancheepuram district on Tuesday night.
Three others, including the auto driver, sustained serious injuries in the accident. The deceased have been identified as Kanniyappan of Manimangalam and his grandson, Melvin.
Sources at the Guduvanchery Traffic Investigation wing said Kanniyappan, along with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson, was heading to a relative’s house in Mudichur when the accident occurred on Manimangalam Main Road, near Guduvanchery.
The 15-foot carrier door of the brick-laden lorry got detached and fell on the auto allegedly when the lorry tried to overtake the vehicle. The impact caused the autorickshaw to crush completely and overturn.
Auto driver Loganathan (35), Kanniyappan’s son and daughter-in-law were grievously injured and were rushed to Tambaram Government Hospital for treatment.
Guduvanchery Traffic Investigation Wing police reached the spot, secured the area and sent the bodies for postmortem examination. The lorry driver fled the scene soon after the accident.
During preliminary inquiry, the police found that the lorry’s carrier door had not been properly fastened with iron locking clamps.
Later, the police arrested the driver, Senthil, and the lorry owner, Raghu, and booked them under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act. Further, investigations are under way.