Bengaluru, 29 April
A 50-year-old woman sanitation worker died after being run over by a tipper truck at Dhobi Ghat Junction near West of Chord Road early Tuesday morning. The incident, which police have attributed to negligent driving, occurred around 6.30am.

The victim, Saroja, employed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), was on her way to the ward office when the accident took place. According to a police complaint filed by her son, Pratap Ganesh, she was crossing the road near Warrior Bakery when the tipper truck, which was stationary at the signal, lurched forward and knocked her down.

“The driver didn’t check his surroundings before moving. The truck’s front left wheel ran over her head as she fell,” said a senior police officer.

Pratap was alerted by a bystander and rushed to the spot, where he found his mother unresponsive. As a crowd gathered, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled.

Saroja was rushed to Victoria Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

“This was a preventable accident. The driver’s carelessness has cost a life,” the officer added.