Water truck, tipper drivers to blame for 30 pc accidents

Kathmandu, June 30

A pedestrian was killed after being knocked down by a water tanker at Radhe along the Tinkune-Suryabinayak road stretch yesterday.

The deceased has been identified as 50-year-old Devi Khadka of Dolakha district. According to the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, the incident occurred at around 8:00 pm. Critically injured Khadka died while undergoing treatment at Madhyapur Hospital, Thimi.

Police have arrested the tanker driver to proceed with legal action.

Similarly, Deepak Sah (36) of Kanchanrup Municipality, Saptari was seriously injured after the scooter he was riding collided with a tipper at New Baneshwor yesterday at around 9:45 pm. He is receiving treatment at Civil Service Hospital, Min Bhawan. The tipper driver has been arrested.

On May 5, Bimala Khanal (37) of Mulpani in Kageshwori Manahara Municipality-10 died and her husband was injured when a water truck hit the two-wheeler they were riding in Dakshin Dhoka of Gokarneshor Municipality-14.

In a separate incident, a woman, who was critically injured after a tipper hit her at New Baneshwor, breathed her last while receiving treatment at Civil Service Hospital the same day.

A scooter rider, Milan Sharma (19) of Chandragiri Municipality, died after being hit by a tipper in Kalanki on May 9. A traffic police official warned that sheer negligence of tipper and water tanker drivers had been taking a toll on road safety in the Kathmandu Valley in recent times.

As many as 16 persons were killed and 439 others injured, 32 critically, in 610 separate road accidents in the Valley from mid-May to mid-June.

“The Valley records an average of 400 road accidents every month. Water tankers and tippers account for nearly 30 per cent of the accidents due to negligence, speeding and non-compliance with traffic rules,” he informed.

The victims of accidents caused by tippers and water tankers are motorcycle and scooter riders, and pedestrians.