Driver escapes after mishap, 'running truck' wreaks havoc

Jaipur: A truck carrying gravel created panic at Jhalana junction near JLN Road after its driver hit a scooty and jumped off the vehicle to flee the spot. A 22-year-old MBA student on the scooty was crushed to death, and as the truck continued to run on the road without a driver, it hit an auto and a bike. A man on the bike was injured.
As the incident created panic in the area, locals damaged the truck and then blocked Jhalana Bypass saying that plying of heavy vehicles on the road has caused several causalities in the recent past.A Gandhi Nagar police team somehow placated the agitators and managed to clear the blockage in an hour.
The deceased, Vinu Thareja (22), a resident of Jawahar Nagar, was pursuing MBA from an institute in Malviya Nagar. She was on her way to the institute when the mishap occurred around 11 am.
"As per the eyewitnesses, the driver was under influence of alcohol. He rammed the truck into the scooty, Vinu was thrown to the road. The truck mowed him down. Instead of applying break, the driver jumped off the truck and escaped from the spot," said a police officer.
The officer said that the truck then hit a biker and then rammed into an auto stationed on the roadside. The biker also sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital.
Demanding construction of a road breaker, local residents staged a sit-in on the road. They shouted slogans and accused the traffic department of negligence. People said that they have drawn the attention of authorities to the increasing number of mishaps on the spot due to overspeeding, but to no avail.
"We managed to clear the blockage within an hour. We have booked driver for negligence and rash driving and launched a search for him. We have seized the truck. Further investigation is going on," said the officer.