Tamil Nadu woman dies after hoarding crashes on her

TRICHY: A 45-year-old woman pillion rider succumbed to her injuries in Thanjavur on Thursday, a day after a flex board fell on her. The incident was reminiscent of the death of Subhasree, a 23-year-old Chennai techie in September 2019.
The accident took place at Thiruvonam village when the woman was returning from a condolence meeting. S Vijayarani from Pudukottai district was returning on a relative’s bike when a condolence flex banner on the roadside crashed on her, knocking her down and causing severe head injury. She was rushed to Thanjavur medical college hospital in an ambulance. Her condition worsened on Thursday and she died in the afternoon. According to Thiruvonam police, one Ravichandran had erected a banner on the roadside for the inauguration of the portrait of his father Muthuveerappan who died a few days ago. Ravichandran was booked for erecting a flex board, which is banned by law, and subsequently arrested. Further investigation is on. The incident is the latest in a series of accidents that have claimed the lives of innocent citizens. Two years ago, a 24-year-old software engineer had come under the wheels of a water tanker near Pallikaranai in Chennai after being knocked off her bike by a flex banner erected for the marriage of the son of a political party’s functionary.
Similarly, K Ragupathy, 32, lost his life in 2017 in Coimbatore when he was run over by a corporation truck after his bike slammed into an arch put up for a function. While Madras high court has banned the erection of flex banners on roadsides and other places, police say the violation has been rampant in interior villages.