Locals Block Road Demanding Compensation After Night Crash
Key Points:
- Sand-laden truck rams parked bikes, car, boundary wall
- Driver, allegedly drunk, flees scene after losing control
- Residents block Birsanagar road demanding action, compensation
JAMSHEDPUR – A speeding sand-laden truck ploughed into four parked motorcycles, a car and a boundary wall late at night in Birsanagar, triggering panic among residents.
The truck, a 407-model vehicle, was reportedly being driven at high speed through a settlement area when the crash occurred. Witnesses said the impact was severe enough to draw nearby residents out of their homes.
Police said the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. He was allegedly speeding through the locality late at night when the vehicle veered off course.
The out-of-control truck first struck four motorcycles that were parked along the roadside. It then crashed into a boundary wall before colliding with a parked Baleno car.
According to witnesses, the force of the collision resembled a head-on crash between the truck and the car. “It felt like the wall itself would come down,” said a local resident who lives nearby.
The truck driver fled the scene on foot after losing control of the vehicle. He has not yet been identified or apprehended, according to residents.
However, residents launched a protest on the main Birsanagar road on Sunday morning, blocking traffic to press their demands. They sought compensation for the damaged vehicles, along with legal action against the truck’s driver and owner.
Locals further alleged that the road where the accident occurred is frequently used to ferry illegally mined sand into the city. They claimed sand smugglers regularly use the route to transport stolen sand without facing scrutiny.
Meanwhile, this is not the first such incident reported in the region, as a similar truck collision in Seraikela last month also left a woman dead and several injured. In addition, a worker was killed in a separate hit-and-run case near Parsudih earlier this month.
Besides this, a truck-related crash in Ramgarh claimed seven lives just two days earlier, underlining a pattern of speeding and reckless driving by heavy vehicle operators across the state. On the other hand, road accidents in the Kolhan region have continued to draw attention to unsafe driving practices in recent weeks.
Residents in Birsanagar said similar protests have occurred before, including one near the RD Tata roundabout, where locals also blocked roads following an accident. Police have not yet commented on the allegations regarding illegal sand transport on the route.
