Woman who fell off bike after Stray dog chase, succumbs

CHENNAI: Days after falling off a bike while fleeing from stray dogs in Chromepet, a 55 year old woman who suffered grievous injuries succumbed to her injuries at a hospital last Wednesday (March 1).

The victim was identified as Thenmozhi, a resident of Radha Nagar in Chromepet.

She worked in a library in the neighbourhood, police sources said.

On February 24, Thenmozhi was returning home after work when the accident happened.

She was riding pillion in a motorbike driven by her son, police said.

While they were moving along Gandhi Nagar in Chromepet, stray dogs in the neighbourhood started chasing the bike.

Thenmozhi's son had tried to flee and in the process lost balance. The woman who fell off the bike suffered head injuries and was admitted to a hospital.

On March 1, she succumbed to her injuries after which Chromepet TIW (Traffic Investigation Wing) registered a case.

"We have registered a case of accident due to self-fall for now, but have noted the issue of stray dog chasing in the report.

The law and order personnel will have to take it up with the concerned authorities.

Initially, the family did not want to file a complaint, but we had to insist them to follow procedure, " a senior traffic police officer said.

A month ago, a class 11 girl who was returning home from tuition suffered injuries after she fell down while fleeing from stray dogs in Chromepet, which led to the residents stage a 'barking protest' outside the corporation office on January 31.

Residents had told DT Next that the girl's accident was only the latest in a series of dog menace incidents, and alleged that the people across Tambaram Corporation, including Chromepet, Pallavaram, Hastinapuram, Pammal, Anakaputhur, Selaiyur, and Perungalathur, have been facing the same issue.

"We requested the Corporation to control stray dogs, but all pleas fell on deaf ears. So a group of activists gathered in front of the zonal office on Tuesday and protested by barking, " V Santhanam, a social activist said.