SAND LORRY KILLS MOTHERANDSON

Mother dies on the spot and the son in hospital

A tense atmosphere prevailed in Laggala last morning when a woman and her son on a motorcycle died in an accident at Kaluganga Goma junction on the Hettipola- Nadungamuwa road. The victims B.G.Anulawathie (46) a mother of three and her son Sumith Shantha Bandara (23) were on their way back after dropping another child at school. The woman died on the spot and her son on admission to hospital.

A tipper lorry after knocking down the motorcycle ran off the road and crashed into a shelter at a bus halt. The driver had fled the scene after the incident. In the aftermath of the accident, an unruly crowd damaged about 12 tipper lorries passing the spot where the mishap occured. Later the protestors burnt tyres and obstructed the road with wooden logs.

The Matale District Parlia- mentarian Laxman Wasantha Perera who attempted to quell the situation only worsened it. He was compelled to leave the scene by the boisterous crowd. However, they did not obstruct the Laggala magistrate who was on her way to the Visiting Mag- istrate’s Court in Pallegama

The protestors said that more than 20 fatal accident were caused by tipper lorries and that their requests to the authorities to prohibit the transport of sand in heavy vehicles on village roads fell on deaf ear. They also claimed that over 500 tipper lorries transported sand along the Handungamuwa- Matale road everyday.

Laggala police that failed to bring the situation under control called in reinforcements from Naula, Wilgamuwa and Dambulla police stations. Laggala police deployed another police team to arrest the absconding driver.