COIMBATORE: A 37-year-old man was killed after a Rekla race bullock cart hit his two-wheeler at Velanthavalam on Sunday night. The rider was allegedly practising for a race and the cart did not have reflective stickers.
The deceased was identified as Sathish Kumar (37) of Kulathupalayam near KG Chavadi and he was running a pharmacy near the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border. On Sunday around 8.45 pm, when Sathish Kumar was returning after work on a bike on KG Chavadi - Velanthavalam road, a speeding bullock cart, that was coming in the opposite direction, hit his vehicle.
Police said both the bike and cart were at a high speed and due to the head-on collision, the centre beam of the cart which connects the yoke broke and hit the biker. Sathish died on the spot. A bull and the cart rider suffered fractures on their legs. Investigation revealed that the rider was practising for a race.
“It is a border area of the state and people from the bordering villages use the road to practice for rekla race at night. Accidents are often due to overspeeding and low visibility on the road. Since rekla carts do not have reflective stickers, they cannot be spotted easily,” said police. KG Chavadi police have booked a case against the bullock cart driver J Hussain (29) of Velanthavalam.