SUV driver fatally mows down three boys cycling to school near Vaniyambadi

The incident took place on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway on Tuesday morning; police said the SUV, with a Karnataka license plate, was heading to Yelagiri Hills; the driver claimed some cattle had crossed the highway, leading him to lose control and veer onto the wrong side of the service lane, hitting the students

Three class 8 boys, who were cycling to school on Tuesday morning, were killed on the spot, after the driver of an SUV hit them from behind, on the service lane of the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) at Valayampattu village near Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur.

The students were headed to the Government High School in Girisamudiram village near Vaniyambadi town, when they were hit by the vehicle at around 9 a.m. The deceased students are R. Suriya and R. Vijay, siblings, who were on the same bicycle, and S. Rafiq, riding another bicycle, all residents of the Melavalampettai village near Vaniyambadi town.

Police said the SUV driver, V. Santhosh (29), a resident of Viruthampattu village near Katpadi in Vellore, was driving the car with four passengers, and proceeding towards Yelagiri Hills. The SUV had a Karnataka registration plate.

“We have secured the accused, the driver. During the initial inquiry, he claimed some cattle had suddenly crossed the highway, causing him to lose control of the vehicle,” K. Balakrishnan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Tirupattur, told The Hindu. After the driver lost control, the vehicle veered over to the opposite side of the service lane of the highway, and hit the students. Due to the accident, traffic was stalled on the route for an hour, before a large team of police personnel led by the SP regulated the traffic.

The bodies of the students were sent to the Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi for post-mortem examinations. A case has been filed by the Vaniyambadi Taluk police. Later in the day, Tirupattur Collector, D. Bhaskara Pandian, inspected the accident site and met the families of the deceased students.