Seven others injured, one critical; Vehicle was transporting wedding party from Haveri

Mysore/Mysuru: Three persons from Mysuru, including a woman, were killed and seven others sustained grievous injuries in an accident on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway in the early hours of Saturday. Police reports indicate that the accident resulted from overspeeding.

The collision occurred near Byrapatna, situated on the outskirts of Channapatna, at around 1.30 am. The vehicle involved was transporting passengers from Haveri to Mysuru. The group from Mysuru was travelling in a Tempo Traveller after attending a wedding in Haveri when the accident took place near Byrapatna Chamundeshwari Medical College.

The deceased have been identified as Somalingappa (70), a resident of Someshwarapura near Devalapura in Mysuru; Shivalingappa (66), a resident of Karimuddanahalli in Hunsur taluk and Rajeshwari Desai (56), a resident of Dharwad who had joined the wedding travel party to Mysuru.

Among the injured are driver Prasanna, Kumaraswamy, Nithin, Lakshmi, Choodaratna, Leelavathy and Namratha, also from Mysuru, who are currently receiving treatment at hospitals, Police said. Among the injured, the condition of Choodaratna is said to be critical. 

The victims had attended the wedding of one Kumaraswamy’s son in Haveri on Feb. 16. Kumaraswamy, a resident of Dasanakoppalu Gate Trends Apartment, along with his relatives, had left Mysuru on Feb. 15, hiring a Tempo Traveller for transportation.

Initially, there were approximately 14 passengers in the vehicle, with four disembarking at Kengeri, while the rest continued their journey towards Mysuru. According to Police reports, the driver Prasanna was operating the vehicle recklessly, despite passengers’ warnings to drive more cautiously. Injured individuals informed the Police that the driver was overspeeding.

The collision resulted in the Tempo Traveller crashing into a passing truck and overturning. The truck driver, sensing the situation, fled the scene fearing his safety. Investigations revealed that driver Prasanna attempted to overtake the truck in an improper manoeuvre, leading to the accident. Rajeshwari Desai, who was travelling with the bride, was also killed with Somalingappa and Shivalingappa due to sudden impact.

The driver’s fatigue, lack of awareness of safe driving practices and insufficient distance between vehicles on the Expressway were cited as contributing factors to the collision by the Police. The injured were treated at the Channapatna Government Hospital and some of them have been shifted to the ICU of Rajarajeshwari Medical College Hospital in Bengaluru.

The impact of the accident was severe, causing extensive damage to the vehicle and ejecting several passengers onto the road. Passers-by, assisted by the Police, intervened, temporarily blocking the road to help the victims and clear the wreckage. Traffic was disrupted on the Expressway for a brief period.

The driver has been charged with negligence resulting in death and reckless driving. Police and transport officials are also verifying the vehicle’s compliance with relevant permits.