CUDDALORE: Five of a family, including two children, died on the spot after their car got crushed between two trucks near Veppur on Tiruchy-Chennai national highway early on Tuesday. The accident happened when the family was returning from Kerala to its home in Nanganallur in Chennai.
According to sources, V Vijay Ragavan (41) of Hindu Colony in Nanganallur and his wife V Vatchala (37), both software professionals, had gone to Kerala last Thursday to visit temples along with their children V Vishnu (10), V Athirith (8) and Vijay’s mother V Vasanthalakshmi (65) on New Year vacation.
They started their drive back home on Monday and Vijay was driving the car, police said. Around 3am, Vijay slowed down the car due to traffic congestion at Iayyanarpalayam near Veppur in Cuddalore district as vehicles were being diverted to a service road due to a flyover construction work. Suddenly, a lorry that was coming behind the vehicle rammed it in full speed and the car surged forward.
Plan to send lorry driver for medical test: Official
The car collided against a lorry standing in front of it with full force, police sources said.
The vehicle was completely crushed in the impact and all the five died on the spot, police said. A team from Veppur police station rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies with the help of fire and rescue services personnel from Veppur fire station.
“Lorry driver R Hari Krishnan (22) of Hanwada of Mehabubnagar district in Telangana, who fled the spot, was later nabbed,” a senior police official said. Cuddalore SP S Sakthi Ganesan and Thittakudi sub-division DSP K V Kaviya inspected the accident spot and damaged vehicles.
Speaking to TNIE, another senior official said, “We have planned to send the lorry driver for medical test to check whether he was under the influence of alcohol. We are also probing whether he slept on the wheel.” Traffic was affected for nearly an hour on the highway due to the accident.