Kundapur: Two separate road accidents reported in and around Kundapur taluk on Saturday left a 49-year-old man dead, his son seriously injured, and a group of migrant workers with a narrow escape.
Father dies after scooter crashes into bus
In the first incident near Mabukala bus stand, 49-year-old Raviraj died after the scooter he was riding with his son crashed into the rear of a bus.
Raviraj, originally from Kirimanjeshwar, was residing in a rented house at Matapadi and worked as a driver. His son Anil, a student at a private educational institution in Kota, was travelling with him to attend classes.
Anil was reportedly running late for college, prompting his father to drop him on the scooter.
According to reports, a bus travelling from Brahmavar towards Kundapur overtook another vehicle and then stopped abruptly on the national highway without giving an indication. Raviraj’s scooter subsequently rammed into the right rear portion of the bus and went underneath the heavy vehicle.
The impact left both father and son grievously injured. They were immediately shifted to a hospital in Brahmavar for treatment. However, doctors declared Raviraj brought dead.
Anil sustained severe injuries and remains admitted to the hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
The incident triggered anger among local residents, who reportedly confronted the bus driver and blamed him for alleged negligence.
Raviraj is survived by his wife and two sons. A case has been registered at Kota police station, and further investigation is underway.
Migrant workers escape as fish lorry overturns
In another accident on the same day, a group of migrant labourers living in makeshift tents near Mullikatte junction in Hosadu village had a narrow escape when a fish-laden lorry overturned beside their temporary shelters.
The accident occurred on National Highway 66 when the lorry, travelling from Byndoor towards Kundapur, reportedly rear-ended another lorry moving in the same direction.
Following the collision, the fish-laden vehicle veered off the highway and overturned into a roadside drain, coming to rest dangerously close to the tents occupied by migrant workers.
The drain is believed to have acted as a crucial barrier and prevented the heavy vehicle from crashing directly into the tents. Had the lorry entered the tents, the accident could have resulted in serious injuries or fatalities.
In another fortunate coincidence, a vehicle belonging to a national highway contracting agency had dropped the migrant workers at the spot only moments before the accident.
All the workers were reported to be safe.
The two incidents, occurring separately in the same taluk, once again highlight the risks faced by motorists and roadside communities along busy stretches of the national highway.