Reckless driver smashes barricades, mows 4 on bikes

The injured persons include two 18-year-old college students and a couple. The CCTV footage showed the rashly driven car running through the barricade and hitting two-wheelers before speeding away from the spot. The incident happened on Camp Road–Mappedu Road junction near Selaiyur on Saturday afternoon, said a police officer.

While the motorists were driving slowly to negotiate the barricades placed on the road, a red colour van, which was speeding in a zigzag manner, smashed the barricades. The vehicle did not slow down even after hitting the barricades and ran into two-wheelers in front. It hit three two-wheelers and four people travelling on them were thrown a few metres away in the impact, said the police.

The injured persons were identified as Gladson and Vikram from Selaiyur, both first-year engineering students at a private college, Arumugam (45) and his wife Shanthi (41) from Mappedu.

While Gladson and Shanthi suffered severe injuries, Arumugam and Vikram escaped with minor scratches. “All four of them did not wear helmets and are admitted to a private hospital for treatment,” said the police.

The Chromepet traffic investigation wing registered a case. They have also collected CCTV footage from subsequent junctions and are trying to trace the man behind the wheels, said a police officer.

“The motorists did not lodge a complaint initially. However, it was given on Sunday. Based on the vehicle’s registration number, we identified thesuspect as one Varadan (54). We will know why he drove rashly only after we secure him,” the police noted. Further investigation is on.