Madurai: A toll plaza employee was killed after a speeding truck hit him after ramming into the Masthanpatti toll plaza in Tamil Nadu's Madurai on Sunday. Three persons, including a female toll plaza staff and two passengers, were injured. The deceased has been identified as Satish Kumar of Sakhimangalam in Madurai district, police said.
According to the police, the truck, carrying 30 tonnes of rice was heading from Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada towards Kerala. The driver, K. Balakrishnan (41) from Guntur lost control of the vehicle after crossing the bridge near Bandikoil. He could not stop the vehicle due to brake failure and it rammed into the toll plaza.
Police said that the driver had tried to stop the truck by hitting a tree but his efforts failed as there were several roadside restaurants in the area. When the truck driver entered the booth he saw that some vehicles were queued up. In an attempt to avoid hitting those vehicles, the driver tried to divert the vehicle to the other side of the toll plaza.
Satish, who was at the toll booth, saw the truck diverting to the opposite side and tried to stop it. But, the truck hit him, dragging him a few meters, police said. Satish succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
After which, the truck rammed into a passenger vehicle that came from the opposite direction. Two passengers who were travelling in the car were injured along with a female toll plaza employee. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital and Satish's body has been sent for post-mortem. Police said that a case has been filed in this matter and investigations are on.
Also read: 4 killed as car collides with container truck in Tamil Nadu's Madurai
