Lorry mows down woman riding scooter, fleeing driver rams KSRTC bus

A 29-year-old woman died in a horrific accident at a chaotic traffic intersection on Mysuru Road in western Bengaluru on Sunday, police said.

The victim, Anusha G, rode on a scooter with her 50-year-old mother Vanajakshi and seven-year-old son Arya. A native of Mandya’s Bannur, Anusha lived in Attiguppe and worked at a plywood store. The three were on their way to Gopalan Arcade Mall in RR Nagar.

Around 2.15 pm, as the scooter rode down the Nayandahali flyover, a lorry carrying cement bags rear-ended the scooter near the Pantharapalya bus stop. The impact of the crash threw Anusha off the scooter. She fell to her left, and her head came under the right middle wheel of the lorry. She died instantly. Her mother and son fell on the right side of the scooter. Vanajakshi’s legs were caught in the lorry’s wheels, police said, quoting eyewitnesses.

Anusha was rushed to Victoria Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. Vanajakshi has been admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in RR Nagar.

The child escaped with minor head injuries and is now safe.

Meanwhile, the lorry driver tried to escape from the scene but drove so rashly that he ended up ramming a KSRTC bus some distance away. As the lorry stopped due to the crash, the driver got up and ran away. Some bus passengers suffered injuries, police said.

A police officer said there was no way to ascertain if the lorry was being driven at high speeds. However, he said that wasn’t possible because of the heavy load the vehicle carried and the traffic on the road.

Byatarayanapura traffic police seized the lorry and booked the driver under IPC sections 279 and 304(a) and section 134 (A & B) of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act. A manhunt has been launched for him.

Following the accident, road users pelted the lorry with stones and staged a flash protest by stopping traffic for two hours. Police had to cane the protesters to disperse them.