Minutes before crash, SSI spoke to wife

Special Sub-Inspector A Thulasi, who died in a car accident late on Friday, had spoken to his wife Karpagam barely minutes before he met a tragic end.

The car in which he was travelling rammed a stationary sand-laden lorry in front of Kanathur police station on East Coast Road killing him and four other occupants. They were on their way to Chennai from Thirunallar.

“After inquiring about the children, he told her that they were nearing Thiruvanmiyur. He assured her that he would be home within an hour or so. But, what we heard after two hours from Kanathur police is that the car met with a grave accident,” said Karthik, Thulasi’s eldest son-in-law.

“We came here and were told that the accident took place around 12.05 am. Therefore, the accident could have taken place within minutes after his conversation. Thulasi is survived by his wife, and three daughters — Nithiya (25), Priya (22), and Karthika (17),” he added.

Meanwhile, relatives of the other accident victims accused the lorry driver for parking the vehicle without leaving its blinkers on. This could have definitely given a hint to the car driver that the lorry was stationary, they felt. The man behind the wheel, Suresh Kumar, was the youngest of the victims. He is survived by his wife and two sons — a two-year-old and a 10-month-old.

“He spoke to his wife when they began their journey saying he would be home not long after mid-night. He also asked about the young ones,” his brother Selvakumar recounted with tears.

The pilgrims chose to finish their trip to the Tiruanllar temple and return the same day, which was too long a drive for a day’s journey, police said. Those who were familiar with the route were aware of the police check-post and would slow down, they added.

The forensic team of Adyar Traffic Investigation was pressed into action to collect evidence from the vehicle for further investigation.