Motorists fall in succession into pit dug by highways dept; 3 hurt

CHENNAI: Three persons on two bikes were injured after falling into a sewage pit dug up by the State highways department on a poorly lit service road off Chennai-Bengaluru highway near Poonamallee on Saturday night.

While one of them suffered a fracture, the other two motorists escaped with minor injuries, police said.

According to an official, a barricade was in place to prevent motorists from not taking the road. Police suspect a pedestrian to have moved the barricade to pass through and since it was dark, the motorists did not see the signs and attempted to traverse.

The accident happened around 9 pm on Saturday. Kumaran, a private firm employee took a detour on the service road near Parivakkam owing to the heavy traffic along the highway and fell into the pit.

Two others on a motorbike who were trailing Kumaran's bike too fell into the pit, police said.

Passerby who noticed the accident helped the injured persons out of the pit and moved them to a hospital nearby for treatment. Kumaran suffered fracture on his arm and a leg, while the others survived with minor injuries, police said.

Poonamallee traffic investigation wing personnel said that the pit was dug up by the highways department to lay sewage pipes and it is about 10 feet deep.

"The stretch is poorly lit and the motorists might have missed the warning signs, " a police officer said. Police sources said that no case has been registered as yet as the injured have not come forward with a complaint.

Less than a week ago, a 74-year-old man died after he slipped into the five-foot pit which was dug for the construction of drainage by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) at Madipakkam on Monday. Narayanan of Balambal Nagar in Madipakkam walking on the Ullagaram-Medavakkam main road when he slipped and fell into the five-foot pit that was dug for drainage by the Metro Rail.