Coimbatore: A 35-year-old woman was killed and her husband critically injured after a truck laden with construction material smashed into their roadside house on old Sungam bypass here in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Victoria. Her husband Mariyadas was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, where he is battling for life.
The accident took place when the truck was transporting construction material to Perur Pachapalayam from Karanampettai. “When the truck neared the old Sungam bypass around 4am on Wednesday, the truck driver, P Vignesh, dozed off. He subsequently lost control over the vehicle, which veered off the road, rammed a house and came to a halt after crashing into the house of Victoria-Mariyadas couple, damaging it completely,” an investigating official told TOI.
While Victoria succumbed to her injuries on the spot, Mariyadas was rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, where doctors said his condition was critical.
DMK MLA N Karthik, who consoled the family members of the deceased, said the streetlight was not functioning in the area for the past six months. “The driver did not see the road and rammed the vehicle into two houses. A compound wall should be erected at old Sungam bypass area. Earlier, the area mainly featured agricultural lands. Over the years, houses were built there. Now, there are about 300 encroached houses,” he said.
The traffic investigation wing of the city police have registered a case and arrested the truck driver. Further investigation is on.
