Speeding Truck Kills Pillion Rider, Sparks Road Blockade
Key Points:
- Woman dies on the spot after hyva hits motorcycle near Kolabira
- Angry villagers block highway with body, demand action
- Truck driver caught by locals after attempted escape
SERAIKELA – A woman died on Monday morning after a speeding hyva truck rammed into the motorcycle she was riding on near Kolabira under Seraikela police station limits. The deceased has been identified as Phulsari Mahato, a resident of Rapcha in Gamharia.
According to locals, Shambhu Charan Mahato, a resident of Hathitand, was heading toward Dugni from Kadma to fetch medicines early in the morning. Mahato was accompanied by Phulsari Mahato on the same motorcycle.
The hyva struck the bike from behind near Kolabira on the highway. Mahato sustained injuries in the crash, while Phulsari Mahato died instantly after falling from the vehicle.
The truck driver attempted to flee the spot after the collision. However, local residents and passersby chased the vehicle and intercepted it at Dugni before he could escape.
Word of the accident was passed on to Seraikela police soon after the crash occurred. Officers reached the spot and tried to persuade the angry crowd that had blocked the road with the body, but villagers refused to move the body and continued the blockade. The standoff caused long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Meanwhile, residents alleged that the unchecked speed of heavy vehicles passing through the district has repeatedly caused fatal crashes. They said the administration has so far failed to take firm steps to control truck speeds on the stretch.
Villagers have demanded adequate compensation for the victim’s family, strict action against the driver responsible, and effective measures to control the speed of heavy vehicles. They have also insisted that senior district officials visit the accident site in person before the blockade is lifted.
Seraikela district has recorded a high toll from such crashes this year; 31 road accidents in April alone left 24 dead in the wider Jamshedpur region. In a similar case last month, a head-on collision between two iron-laden trailers in Rajnagar claimed a driver’s life, while another crash saw a truck hitting two motorcycles in Gopidih, killing a woman and critically injuring three others.
Hyva-related accidents have also surfaced elsewhere in the district recently. A goods vehicle overturning after hitting a motorcyclist in Chakulia left a construction site manager injured last week. On NH-33, a morning-walker in Mango was struck and killed by an unidentified bus just a day earlier, underlining the persistent danger on roads across the Kolhan region.
At the time of filing this report, the road blockade in Kolabira remained in force, with villagers still refusing to allow the body to be moved without assurances from district officials.
