TIRUCHY: An obituary banner of a senior citizen, K Mariyappan (70), who died in a two-wheeler accident in Beema Nagar, caught the attention of many commuters as his family used his post-operative picture on the hoarding.
The banners placed at multiple places in Tiruchy on Friday carry a photograph that shows the sutures on the head of the accident victim and also have a message about the importance of using a good quality helmet.
Mariyappan’s family members said that they decided to use that photo to avoid similar situations for anyone and request all to use helmets while riding two-wheelers.
M Shanmuga Sundaram, nephew of Mariyappan, said that his uncle struggled a lot during his last days, and the use of a quality helmet would have avoided such a situation. “My uncle met with an accident on September 7.
His head hit hard during a collision with a bike. Although he was wearing a helmet, it was a substandard one. It broke on impact. Thus he got seriously injured and was taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital where he underwent a brain surgery.
His last days were really harrowing, and it was difficult for us to watch him in that condition. During our stay in the hospital, we came across so many similar accident cases. In many cases, the death happened either due to the use of a substandard helmet or for not using one,” said Sundaram.
“Our uncle passed away on Thursday. We decided to use the picture of his last days in hospital in the obituary poster to spread awareness,” he added.
Sundaram said his family placed the poster in a few prominent places like Vayalur road, Vasan Nagar, and a few other locations with hope that it would help raise awareness among the public. “We request everyone to use a helmet with an ISI mark for your safety and for your family. We don’t want anyone to go through what our uncle faced,” he said.
A senior police official appreciated the effort taken by the family. “We often hold awareness campaigns regarding the importance of helmets for the general public as well as college students. Some people would keep their helmets hanging on their bikes and wear them only when they see a police officer.
What is its use then? We often tell this to many people, especially youngsters, and request them to wear helmets while riding a two-wheeler. We are glad that a family who lost their loved one came with such an awareness initiative,” the senior official said.