CHIKKABALLAPUR: In a major accident near Ramadevaragudi on the National Highway 44, a speeding truck crashed into five vehicles parked in front of a hotel, leaving two people dead and two others, including a pregnant woman, seriously injured.
The truck, which was speeding on the service road, suddenly swerved to the right to avoid hitting a Ford Ecosport SUV, but ended up killing a motorcycle rider and a security guard at the hotel. A woman, identified as Manasa, who is four months pregnant, was among the two seriously injured. The condition of both the injured is said to be critical.
Manasa and her father Narasimha have been shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru. She sustained grievious injuries in the thigh and stomach region. She hails from Ilkal in Koppal district and is a resident of Kadugodi in Bengaluru.
Manasa, her father Narasimha and her five-year-old son had just got off their Maruti Vitara Brezza at the hotel where they had stopped for breakfast. Her husband Harsha Deshpande, a techie, was still parking the vehicle when the truck crushed Manasa. On spotting the truck, her father grabbed the boy, thus saving him. Harsha and the son had a lucky escape.
The motorcycle rider Janardhan was on his way to Chikkaballapur from his native village P Chokkanahalli. The security guard was identified as Narayanaswamy. Both died on the spot.
The truck, bearing Tamil Nadu registration (TN 85 K 8373), was carrying automobile spare parts from Bengaluru to Hyderabad. The driver Ajith tried to avoid a Ford Ecosport and swerved sharply to the right, crashing into five vehicles parked in front of Hotel Pranav.
The Peresandra police have taken the driver into custody and seized the truck and other other damaged vehicles.
In a related incident, a cab going along the highway fell into a ditch when the driver was looking at the accident side and driving. However, the driver escaped without any injuries.