She never had a taste of the coffee at the dansala
In a double tragedy a 9- year old girl died after being hit first by a motorcycle and then by a three- wheeler on Vesak Day.
The victim Samaraweera Arachchige Swarnamali Yasodha, a Grade 4 Student of Gurukula Vidyalaya, Kelaniya, was a resident of Peliyagoda. Her mother, Vijayakumari Priyadharshini ( 28) told an inquest that her daughter had crossed the road to go to a coffee dansala close to their home when the tragedy occurred.
"She was thrown about two yards. She was rushed to the National Hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following day May 4.”
The Peliyagoda Police said the three- wheeler driver had fled but the motorcyclist was arrested.
National Hospital Judicial Medical Officer H. D. S. C. Appuhamy said the body of the victim was handed over to the mother.
The Inquirer into Sudden Deaths requested the Peliyagoda Police to produce both the motorcyclist and the threewheeler driver at the Colombo Judicial Courts on May 17. overloading their vehicles with sightseers and hence when they met with accidents a larger number of people had been injured.
Some of those injured in accidents were still receiving treatment at the National Hospital over the weekend.
One of them had been offering coffee from a dansala at Panchikawatte when she had been run over by a car.
Chandramarkkala Kanchana Kumudini, 36, whose swollen arm bore tyre marks, said the accident had occurred around midnight on Vesak Day when she had jumped into the middle of a lane to stop a vehicle to offer coffee.
She said had not noticed that a car had been reversing behind her. The vehicle had knocked her down and run over her.
Tharaka Hevage, 24, had a badly injured leg and doctors had told him to prepare himself for surgery to insert a metal plate in his knee.
He is concerned over his mobility because his career as a driver depends on it.
The accident had occurred when he and four friends had hired a three-wheeler to go sightseeing on Vesak Day at Yakkala junction.
He said a hybrid car driven on the wrong side had crashed into the threewheeler, making it topple, causing his injury.
A bus and a tipper truck loaded with passengers seeing the Vesak sights collided in Sadunpura in Dehiattakandiya last Sunday, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to 22 others. The victim was identified as R.M Muthumanike, 34, a resident of Ariyawatte Mahiyanganya.
A tractor being used to transport several people touring festival sights on Sunday in Puttalam met with an accident while trying to overtake a private bus. A resident of Tabbowa, 42-year-old Rohana Wijewardene, died in the accident and 12 others, including three children and four women, were injured.
Karapitiya Hospital Deputy Director Dr. Chandima Sirithunga said that the hospital had admitted 10 people injured in road accidents during Vesak.
Kurunegala Hospital Director Dr. Palitha Yapa said 31 people had been injured in traffic accidents, most suffering head wounds, and that many bike riders had not worn helmets correctly.
There were many distractions for drivers during Vesak, a former police director of city traffic, retired senior superintendent K. Arasaratnam said.
People tooted horns and played instruments, others wore masks, and they lost sight of the fact that while they were enjoying themselves this was happening on crowded roads where drivers were already being distracted by pandals, Vesak lanterns and lights.