VISAKHAPATNAM: A boulders-laden lorry lost control at the steep down near Novotel hotel in the early hours in the port city.
There were no casualty or injuries reported. The steep down on the beach road is considered as a black spot as many accidents occur at the same spot. Even after many precautionary measures to avoid accidents in the area by the city cops, accidents are taking place often.
It is recalled that two people, the father and 11-year-old son of a police officer, were killed and another three were injured when a private school bus skid off and hit the people sitting on the parapet wall on the beach road on April 30 of 2017. A sand-laden lorry lost control and crashed down the steep gradient at the same spot on February 19, 2019. Luckily no casualties or injuries were reported.
The driver of the lorry laden with huge boulders coming from the Anandapuram area lost control over the wheels owing to the malfunctioning of brakes at the steep down early hours when people are not at the area. Usually, in the early hours, the place would be crowded with the morning walkers. The lorry rolled down the incline at a high speed and rammed the divider. The driver cleverly took the left turn after knowing the failure of the brakes while coming down the beach road from the down of the Novotel hotel, sources said.
“The lorry turned turtle and the driver escaped from the accident. After the 2017 accident, we have taken many safety measures and closed the junction. We have arranged huge water studds as speed breakers. We arranged signal lights and also posted traffic cops from 6 am to 10 pm at the spot,” the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police of Traffic Wing A Adinarayana told TOI.
He further added that these accidents have been taking place at midnight or in the early hours. The city traffic police are now planning to arrange big speed breakers or stoppers to close the road at night. They are now mulling to take up major road engineering interventions also.
