TIRUCHY: A 10-year-old girl was killed and her siblings were injured after being knocked down and run over by a school van right in front of their father’s eyes, on Tuesday.
According to police, Poongothai (10), Hariprasad (9) and Sindhuja (7) were being taken to their respective schools by their father Veeramaruthu (45) on a bicycle when the mishap occurred.
Veeramaruthu was riding towards the private school in Woraiyur where his elder daughter Poongothai was studying when a van from Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Higher Secondary School hit the bicycle from the rear side while approaching Takkar Road.
In the impact, the children were thrown off to the middle of the road and came under the wheels of the same vehicle.
While Veeramaruthu escaped with bruises, all the children sustained injuries in the incident.
Upon seeing the incident, the passersby came to their rescue and rushed them to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital.
Poongothai succumbed to injuries while she was on the way to the hospital. Hariprasad and Sindhuja are undergoing treatment.
Eyewitnesses said that the school vehicle was overspeeding in the narrow stretch.
On information, the Woraiyur police conducted an inquiry and arrested van driver Periyannan (23) of Kulithalai in Karur district.
The South Traffic Wing police have registered a case and were investigating the incident.