Truck driver convicted for fatal accident in Whitefield, Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A city court recently found a 29-year-old goods truck driver guilty of killing a tempo traveller driver after ramming into the latter's vehicle on Gunjur Main Road, Whitefield, in July 2023. The court sentenced him to 15 months of simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs 9,000.The convict is Kumar M, a resident of Sanjeevininagar in Moodalapalya. The court observed that Kumar was driving in a rash and negligent manner at the time of the accident. "The accident was so horrific that Kumar's vehicle, moving at high speed, jumped the road median and collided head-on with the tempo traveller, driven by Panchakshri SK, 27. The impact of the collision was so hard that Panchakshari sustained severe head injuries and died on the way to the hospital," Whitefield traffic police said.The chargesheet included a statement from an eyewitness and CCTV footage. "Panchakshari's colleague was coming behind in another tempo traveller and saw everything. He saw Kumar, and later identified him in court. Further, CCTV footage derived from a shop clearly showed how Kumar's truck came from the opposite road, jumped the road median, and collided with Panchakshri's vehicle. These two factors played a vital role in clinching the conviction," an investigating officer said.