Ludhiana: A nightmare scenario for any commuter — a stray animal’s appearing on a dark overpass — killed a private-firm employee on Friday when his motorcycle slammed into a cow on a Jagraon overbridge, sparking a chain-reaction crash that left a second driver injured.The 42-year-old commuter’s death on a high-speed overpass highlights the persistent danger of livestock on Punjab’s major highways. The victim, Laxman Singh of Gude village, was travelling to his workplace in the Badhni area of Moga when the collision occurred on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway flyover. He followed the rules of the road, but the road didn’t play fair. Police claim that the man was wearing a helmet at the time, but the force of the impact with the animal and the subsequent fall led to fatal head injuries.
The incident on the Jagraon overbridge triggered a secondary collision involving a trailing vehicle. Firs Laxman Singh’s motorcycle struck a stray cow that had wandered onto the elevated roadway. Then aw car travelling behind the motorcycle, driven by Gurpreet Singh of Jagraon, was unable to brake in time, ramming into the downed motorcycle and the cattle.Both the motorcycle and the front section of the car sustained major damage. The car driver escaped with minor injuries. Sukhvinder Singh, officer in charge of the local police post, has confirmed that officers arrived on the scene shortly after the accident. Laxman Singh was moved to a nearby hospital, where the medical staff declared him dead on arrival.Police officer Sukhvinder Singh noted: “The victim was wearing a small-style helmet, but his head struck the road surface with significant force.” Authorities have taken custody of the body for a post-mortem examination at a govt hospital as part of the ongoing investigation.
