The SUV driver reportedly fell asleep while driving the car, which caused the accident.
Three members of a family and a grocery shop owner were mowed down by an SUV driven by N Madan Kumar at Rangapalayam in Tirupur on Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as R Mithun, a 17-year-old class XII student and a resident of Senthil Nagar at Neelikadu near Mudhalipalayam Pirivu in Tirupur; his mother, R jeeva, 43; his sister R Mirchile, 15, a class X student; and P Lingasamy, the owner of a grocery store in Rangapalayam.
According to TOI, the incident occurred on Sunday morning when Mithun, his mother and his sister were returning home from a relative’s place. Mithun was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. Lingasamy was on the way to his shop from his home on a moped.
Police sources said to TOI that N Madan Kumar (25), who hails from Pothipalayam, fell asleep while driving the SUV which caused the accident. Madan was on his way to his home after dropping relatives in Tirupur. After hitting the two-wheelers, the SUV crashed into a tree. It was reported that Lingasamy and Mithun died on the spot while Jeeva and Mirchile died on their way to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).
The bodies were sent to Palladam Government hospital for postmortem and were later handed over to the families. The Avinashipalayam police registered a case and arrested Madan Kumar.
According to a study conducted in 2015 by International Journal of Innovative Research in Advanced Engineering (IJIRAE) in Coimbatore, six people die in every 10 road crashes. The study noted that while trucks and two-wheelers were responsible for over 40% of deaths, peak traffic during the afternoon and evening rush hours is the most dangerous time to be on the roads. The study further states that drunk-driving was a major factor for road accidents.
Source: The News Minute