Doc ‘under influence’ hits biker, rams traffic signal

CHENNAI: A medical practitioner working in a popular hospital chain has been booked for drunken driving after he rammed his Audi car on a motorcyclist and stopped the car only after hitting a traffic signal at Anna Nagar in the wee hours of Saturday.

Dr R Kumaran, 47, working in the Kilpauk branch of a hospital, was said to be returning home at Anna Nagar around 1 am. “He was moving on the Third Avenue when he hit a motorbike and severely injured the rider. But he continued driving and came to a halt a few metres away after ramming a traffic signal at the Anna Nagar roundabout. The signal post and car were damaged. The doctor escaped with minor injuries as the air bags opened,” said a police officer attached to Anna Nagar traffic wing.

When a police team arrived, they found that Kumaran was allegedly drunk. Motorcyclist D Sathyaraj (28) of Vyasarpadi was taken to Kilpauk Government Hospital and later referred to Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. Police said he worked in a hotel at Anna Nagar and was returning home after work.
After subjecting him to a medical test, police said they have booked Kumaran on charges of drunken driving. Police sources said he has been booked under IPC sections 337, 279 and under section 185 of Motor Vehicles Act. He was released on bail by police later in the evening.

When contacted, Dr Kumaran denied that he was drunk and that he was even involved in the accident. “No medical test was conducted on me. A motorbike coming on the wrong side fell on the road and to avoid hitting them, I took a sharp turn ramming on the signal. The police allowed me to go home and in the morning they asked me to visit the  police station and sign a few papers. After that I left for hospital  and only after a few reporters called me, I realised I was booked for  drunken driving.”