VASCO
A 14-year-old cyclist from Zorint-Zuarinagar was seriously injured after a speeding truck knocked him down at the MES College junction on Thursday evening.
According to sources, 14-year-old Agnelo Pereira, a student at St Thomas School in Cansaulim, was returning home on his cycle from tuition classes near the MES College area.
“A speeding truck (GA-09-U-3326) was moving from Verna towards Vasco side and which it knocked down cycle while the student was crossing over. The student had waited for his signal and was crossing over, but the truck allegedly was speeding and jumped the red signal on his road and dashed against the boy leaving him grievously injured,” said the source.
“The boy was immediately shifted to the GMC and is reported to be in a critical condition. The truck halted at a distance after the accident and the driver fled from the scene fearing backlash from angry onlookers.”
Another eyewitness said the student had just left from his coaching classes when the accident occurred.
“There was a red signal on the road leading from Verna to Vasco and despite that, the truck jumped the signal and dashed against the innocent boy in full speed. I was also crossing the road on my bike along with the student on his cycle. I missed the truck by a whisker and the boy was flung after the accident.”
“In fact, we were both waiting on the internal road together to cross over, and it was this boy who told me that a red signal was displayed for highway traffic, and we had a green light to cross over.”
“I got delayed a little bit because my bike did not start immediately but the boy crossed on his cycle and met with an accident. The driver of the truck immediately ran after the accident as we screamed for help,” said the eyewitness.
Local residents have demanded that the traffic police be deputed at the location amid rising accidents, many of them being fatal, at the junction.
Verna police have registered a case of accident and are investigating the case.
