COIMBATORE: Four members of a family, including a teenage girl, were killed and one boy sustained injuries in a head-on collision between a car and a lorry on the Pollachi-Palladam main road near Negamam in Coimbatore district on Monday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Dhanapal (37), his wife Menaga (35), their daughter Kaniska (17), all residents of Kadayampatty in Salem, and Sneha (23), a relative of the family. The couple’s son, Surjith (12), sustained multiple injuries and is under treatment.
According to police, the incident took place around 1.45 pm, when the victims were travelling in the car from Pollachi towards Palladam. They were hit by the lorry, which was coming from the opposite direction. While Dhanapal, Menaga and Sneha died on the spot, Kaniska was rushed to the Pollachi Government Hospital, where she succumbed to injuries, police said.
Surjith was given first aid at the Pollachi GH and later referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. His condition is being closely monitored, sources said.
Meanwhile, the lorry driver, identified as Saravanan (39) of Krishnagiri, has been detained by the police. Preliminary inquiry revealed that the lorry, en route to Pollachi from Palladam, was allegedly driven in a rash and negligent manner before the driver lost control and rammed into the car.
Senior police officials, including the deputy superintendent of police (Pollachi), visited the accident spot and conducted inquiry. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the Pollachi GH for post-mortem.
