Jharsuguda: The driver of a pickup van died while another sustained injuries after being hit by a speeding truck on National Highway 49 near Jharuguda on Saturday.
The deceased driver has been identified as Deepak Kumar Mohapatra (25) of Deogarh, while the injured passenger has been identified as Rudra Sa of Chantipalli.
According to reports, at around 8 pm today, a four-wheeler cargo carrier carrying diesel was en route to Kandekela from Jharsuguda when the truck coming to Belpahar from Kanaktora hit the pick-up van near Kuremala Khadiapada junction within Rengali police station limits. Soon after the accident, the truck driver fled from the spot.
On intimation, Rengali police reached the spot and the victims were shifted to Lakhanpur Community Health Center where the doctor declared Deepak ‘brought dead’. The other injured passenger is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
A case has been registered in the Rengali police station and the police have seized the badly-mangled pickup van and the truck from the scene. Besides, the dead body has been sent to the district quarters hospital for post-mortem.
This is the second road mishap on this stretch of the NH 49 in less than 48 hours. Two people were killed in a road accident earlier.
It is pertinent to mention here that accidents on National Highway 49 between Belpahar to Rayagada have turned into a regular affair. Â While many people are losing their lives and getting critically injured in accidents caused by careless and rash driving, alert locals have claimed that faulty road construction is also a major reason behind the accidents. They said that the district administration, regional transport department and police administration should take necessary steps to curb such accidents in future.
