15-yr-old run over by garbage truck on airport road

Following the accident BBMP commissioner, Gaurav Gupta said that the civic body will increase the height of the metal grills on the median.

A 14-year-old student, who was forced to cross the busy airport road since the underpass she normally used to take was filled with rainwater, was killed after being hit by a lorry hit on Monday. The incident took place near Hebbal flyover on Ballary road (airport road).

The incident took place near Hebbal flyover on Ballary road (airport road). (Representational photo)

The deceased, a Class-9 student, identified as Akshaya was hit by a lorry operated by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for garbage disposal, said a police officer.

“Around 12.30, five girls were crossing the road. The subway near the road was filled with water. So, they jumped over the medians and tried to cross the road. While four others managed to cross, Akshaya was hit by a lorry which is used by the BBMP to transport waste. She died while she was being rushed to the hospital,” said Savitha S, deputy commissioner of police (traffic north).

“A motorcyclist had applied breaks seeing the students cross the road resulting in a chain accident. A few other people also sustained minor injuries during the accident,” she said.

The DCP added that around 9 am, hours before the accident, her office staff from her office had informed BBMP about the water logging in the underpass. “We had informed them (BBMP) via the control room also, but they did not take any immediate action. They cleared the subway only after the accident took place,” she said.

Following the accident BBMP commissioner, Gaurav Gupta said that the civic body will increase the height of the metal grills on the median. “It was around three feet. We will now make it taller. We have been asking people to not take any risks while crossing the road,” he said.

When questioned about the waterlogging in the subway that resulted in the accident, he said “everyone should ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future”.

Talking to the media, the student’s father, who works as a conductor in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) said that he was finishing his work when his younger daughter informed him about the accident. “I thought it was a minor accident but by the time I reached the hospital she had died… she was a topper in her class. This should not happen to any other father. I hope the BBMP will fix the problem,” the father said.

She used to commute on that route regularly using the underpass only, said one of the relatives of the girl, on the condition of anonymity. The road where the mishap took place is one of the widest roads in the city and witnesses a continuous, high volume of traffic throughout the day. The BBMP had built an underpass for the pedestrians and also installed metal grills on the road.