COIMBATORE: Three people, including a woman, were killed after a speeding car rammed into a stationary lorry near the newly inaugurated GD Naidu flyover at Goldwins in Coimbatore in the wee hours on Monday.
The incident occurred around 1.30 a.m. near the Goldwins stretch of the flyover, opened to the public by Chief Minister MK Stalin just a few days ago.
The 10.1-kilometre-long elevated corridor connecting Uppilipalayam and Goldwins has been easing traffic congestion on Avinashi Road, reducing travel time from nearly 45 minutes to just 10 minutes.
According to police sources, the car, travelling from Uppilipalayam towards Goldwins, lost control while descending the flyover and crashed into a parked lorry along the roadside at Goldwins.
The impact was so severe that the car got completely mangled, trapping all three occupants inside.
Fire and rescue personnel from Peelamedu and the Coimbatore South emergency response team rushed to the spot and battled for over an hour to extricate the bodies.
The deceased have been identified as Sheikh Husein from Irugur and two others, including a young woman and a man, whose identities are yet to be confirmed.
The bodies were later sent to the ESI Hospital in Singanallur for post-mortem examination. Peelamedu police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Coimbatore City Police Commissioner A Sundaravadivel said, “Prima facie it seems to be mechanical failure of the car. It has been dragged 100 mts after applying the brakes. The lorry was not parked on the road.”
In a separate incident, three cars collided back-to-back in the flyover on Sunday night, bringing the traffic on the flyover to a screeching halt.
Later, the police personnel rushed to the spot and cleared the traffic.
Two back-to-back accidents, nearby and on the GD Naidu flyover, within a few days of its inauguration, have created shock among the public.
