CHENNAI: A 40-year-old car driver and his five-year-old daughter died in an accident near the city airport while his two sons had a miraculous escape on Sunday night. Police said that around 9 pm, P Shankar (40) of Lal Bahadur Shastri Street, Gandhi Nagar, East Tambaram and the children were on a two-wheeler, en route to his mothers house at Royapettah, where he was to drop his three kids Rashika (5), Ajay (11) and Sriram (10). Shankar was said to have been driving fast on the GST Road, on the flyover opposite the airport, when he lost control of his vehicle which skidded and hit the wall on the left side of the bridge. All four fell of the vehicle. The father and daughter, who was seated on the petrol tank, sustained injuries on their foreheads. The two boys fell on the road and escaped unhurt as they were seated behind. Police said that Shankar had worn a helmet but had not fixed the strap, and hence it fell off his head when his bike hit the wall.An ambulance waiting near the flyover took all the four to a nearby private hospital where Shankar was pronounced dead on arrival. Rashika died in the hospital early Monday. The bodies were handed over to the family after autopsy at the Chromepet Government General Hospital.Traffic investigation officials said that Shankar rode at higher than the regular speed to climb the flyover when the side footrest of his two-wheeler scratched against the left wall of the flyover for about 20 feet. Sand along the corners of the bridge led the bike to skid. “We found that no other vehicle had hit the bike. We also inquired with the boys. The man would have survived had he strapped his helmet properly,” said a police official.Police sources said Shankar, who earlier owned a mechanic shed, was working as a car driver for an official at the MEPZ, Tambaram. Sources added that boys Ajay and Sriram were born to Shankar’s first wife Mary, who died seven years ago after an illness.
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