Speed stunt kills Chennai teens, video goes viral
CHENNAI: Two bike-borne teenagers died on Tuesday after they lost control of the vehicle, speeding at 114 km per hour, and rammed the road median at Taramani in Chennai while trying to avoid crashing into a minivan.
A small camera, attached to the helmet, which the teens wanted to use to make a video of their high-speed ride, also captured their fatal crash. The video went viral on Thursday. The deceased, Praveen (19) and Hari (17), of Taramani went for a ride on 100-feet road in the locality on Tuesday.
They had planned to drive on OMR and record it on the camera. The 2:22-minute video shows the teens sustaining the fatal crash just 20 seconds after their start. The rest of the video shows people gathering around, calling for an ambulance, and arrival of the police.
Praveen was in his college first year while Hari completed his Class 12 and was awaiting admission to college. They were driving a sports motorbike that could go up to 130 kmph, police said.
Rider hit median while trying to avoid van
The bike was purchased by Praveen’s parents just a few months ago. Praveen did not possess a two-wheeler driving licence, police said. “While Praveen rode the bike, Hari was riding pillion. They recorded the video starting from 18 kmph. When the bike hit 114 kmph, they had reached near the overhead railway track at Taramani,” said a senior police officer.
At that very moment, a minivan coming from the opposite direction, made a U-turn through the opening in the road median. Trying to avoid crashing into the vehicle, Praveen hit the median in high speed and both were thrown off the vehicle in the impact.
They were rushed to the Royapettah Government Hospital where they were declared dead on arrival. The Guindy traffic investigation police have registered a case. Quoting eyewitnesses, police said the helmet along with the camera got detached and fell apart in the impact.