Three people were killed and seven others injured in a serious road accident involving a car, a motorcycle and a pickup vehicle near Anekadu on the Kushalnagar-Madikeri highway on Sunday night. A car with people who were returning from a Ganesh idol immersion program lost control of the vehicle and collided with an oncoming motorcycle and crashed into a pickup vehicle.
The deceased were Ratan alias Unni, 36, Adarsh, 26 and Kumar, 42. Unni, an electrician and a resident of 7th Hosakote, was driving the car at the time of the accident. Adarsh, who worked with him, was also travelling in the car. Kumar, a contract worker with the forest department and a resident of Hodduru village, was another victim.
According to the details available about the incident, the occupants of the car were returning to 7th Hosakote after attending a Ganesh idol immersion programme at Guddehosur. The Anekadu incident took a tragic turn when the car lost control while overtaking.
The car collided with a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction. After the first collision, the car then hit a pickup vehicle, also moving from the opposite direction. The multiple-vehicle collision was very bad and several people were injured.
Two died at the spot, third victim succumbs in hospital
Unni and Adarsh died at the scene of the accident due to their injuries. Kumar was critically injured in the collision and taken to a hospital. But he succumbed to his injuries while he was being treated.
The deaths have left families of the victims in shock. The incident has raised questions about road safety on the busy Kushalnagar-Madikeri highway (e.g., that overtaking on roads with traffic in both directions).
Seven other people were injured in the accident. Suvin, Chandrashekhar and Ajay were among the injured people in the car. The pickup vehicle occupants were also injured in the collision.
Injured shifted to hospitals
After the accident, the injured were taken for immediate medical treatment. They were initially treated with first aid at a private hospital in Kushalnagar. Some victims were then shifted to hospitals in Mysuru and Madikeri for further treatment depending on their injuries.
Three people were killed and seven others injured in a serial accident involving a car, a motorcycle and a pickup vehicle near Anekadu on the Kushalnagar–Madikeri highway on Sunday night.
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The deceased have been identified as Ratan alias Unni (36), an electrician and resident of… pic.twitter.com/f3yDH4Bzeo
The accident caused extensive damage to all three vehicles, the report said. The force of the collision also sent the motorcycle off the road, and both the car and pickup vehicle were heavily damaged.
Emergency personnel and local authorities responded to the incident as the injured were transported for treatment. The accident also disrupted traffic on the highway because damaged vehicles and debris had to be cleared from the road.
Police begin investigation
Kushalnagar Traffic Police have registered a case in connection with this accident. A deeper investigation is ongoing to understand the specific reasons for the collision.
Investigators will also assess the sequence of events, how the car was being driven and what factors might have contributed to the accident. The road, traffic and the circumstances of the overtaking manoeuvre, in addition to the car’s speed and the vehicle’s speed, also play a role in the investigation.
The accident is another reminder of the dangers of overtaking on roads where vehicles are approaching from the other direction. A momentary loss of control can lead to multiple accidents, particularly if several cars are very close to each other.
With three people dead and seven others injured in the Anekadu crash, the incident has made it clear that we should be driving with care, and not speeding and overtaking. The police investigation will determine the actual cause of the accident and the consequences of the accident based on the evidence collected.
