Kerala boy on bike carrying wreath for funeral, dies in mishap

Thiruvananthapuram: In a tragic incident in south Kerala, a teenage boy working with a florist, died in a mishap when he was riding a bike to a home where a funeral was scheduled.

The incident happened on the Sivagiri-Pangode highway on Sunday and the deceased was identified as Yadhu Krishna, 17, son of Sajeesh Kumar and a native of Velliman Chuzhuvanchira, in Kollam district in south Kerala.

Krishna was working as a part-time assistant with a florist, whose son Ajas Siju, 13, was pillion riding with Krishna. Siju survived with serious injuries and has been admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

Krishna was a student of the Sri Narayana Polytechnic in Kottiyam, and was working at the florist’s shop during his spare time.

The incident happened around noon on Sunday when a scooter in front of the bike slowed to take a turn into a side road. When Krishna braked in a hurry, the bike went out of control, hitting the scooter and an electric post, local reports said.

A couple riding the scooter, identified as Adish, 28 and his wife Gopika, 25 were injured in the incident and sought treatment at a private hospital in Kundara. Yadhu Krishna leaves behind his parents and a brother, Vidhu Krishna.

Ironically, the accident happened in the first month that the federal government in India imposed steep fines for traffic violations. According to the new rules, those who ride or drive vehicles before the legal age of 18, will not be able to apply for licence until they are 25.

In another road accident at Kumbanad near Thiruvalla on Sunday evening, four car passengers lost their lives when their vehicle collided with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus.

The deceased were identified as Mangalasseril Joby, 38, Vakkemannil Ben, 32, Anoop Panicker, 25, and Koipurathu Anil, 35.

Their co-passenger, Anish Kumar, 35 was admitted to hospital with grievous injuries. In a freak incident, one of those who volunteered to extricate the car passengers, Arun Kumar, was also seriously injured when a fire extinguisher in the car exploded.

All the four deceased were active in social circles in their native place and had been in the forefront of relief and rescue operations during the flood of 2018.

On social media, one commentator suggested medians for all roads in Kerala to avoid head-on collisions. “Yellow lines in the middle are only good in countries where drivers follow traffic etiquette,” he wrote.

Over 4,000 lives are lost in Kerala in road accidents each year.