THRISSUR: A 29-year-old Thrissur native died after his bike fell into a large pothole at Kacherivalavu on Thrissur-Thalikkulam stretch of NH-66.The accident happened on Saturday night. Sanu C James, a native of Pazhanji near Thalikkulam, died while undergoing treatment on Monday night.
Meanwhile, a contract firm of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) filled the pothole the very next day of the accident after local residents protested against the bad condition of the road.
One of Sanu’s relatives said they believe the youth’s bike plummeted to the pothole that was filled with water and he fell off the bike. “A portion of his helmet shattered when it hit the ground. The doctor said his head was injured at the same spot where the helmet broke,” said the relative.
Sanu was first rushed to Daya Hospital in Valappad and later shifted to another branch of the hospital where he was put on ventilator support. However, he succumbed to his injuries. Sanu was the sole breadwinner of his family, which comprises his mother, father and a sister who got married recently and lives with her husband.
After the accident, NHAI officials visited the spot and took photographs of the pothole. Though labourers from a contract firm of NHAI filled it on Sunday, it reappeared partially following heavy rain on Monday. The Thrissur-Thalikkulam road is riddled with huge potholes. Authorities have not carried out any maintenance on the stretch for years despite protests, owing to the road widening work.