EB engineer, granddaughter killed in mishap

CHENNAI: A 51-year-old electricity board engineer and his granddaughter died in a freak accident near Medavakkam on Monday morning. Police, who seized a lorry and a multi-utility vehicle, arrested the drivers.Police said S Sathyamurthy (51) of Kovilamvakkam was on a two-wheeler, on his way to drop his four-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter G Kesika in her school at Sembakkam around 9 am. Sathyamurthy was working as a junior engineer at the electricity board office at Perumbakkam while Kesika was in UKG. Sathyamurthy, who was riding without a helmet, was crossing Kovilambakkam-Medavakkam road, when the driver of an MUV, who had parked his vehicle on the road, opened the door unaware that a motorist was approaching, police said. The door hit the two-wheeler and in the impact, both Sathyamurthy and Kesika fell off the bike. A tipper lorry carrying sand approaching from the opposite direction then ran over the two, police said and added that both the engineer and his granddaughter died on the spot of head injuries. Their bodies were sent to the Chromepet Government General Hospital and St Thomas Traffic police have registered a case.Police said they seized both the MUV and the lorry and arrested both drivers Murali and Sridhar. Traffic police, who investigated the case, said that Sathyamurthy was also at fault as his granddaughter had school at 9 am but he had started in the last minute. “By the time, he could realise and apply the brakes, everything was over. We always advise motorist to follow the mantra — start early, drive slowly and reach safely,” said a traffic investigation inspector.Two Die in CollisionTwo persons, Shankar (36) and Paramanandhan (35), who were on their way to Chennai from Madurai, died after the van they were travelling in collided head on with a lorry carrying cement near Acharapakkam, Kancheepuram district, police said. Shankar, who drove the van lost control and ran into the centre median around 5 am on Monday, landing on the other side of the road when the lorry hit. Police said the lorry driver subsequently fled the spot.