A tipper-truck hit an overhead signboard on the National Highway near Ladhowal on Tuesday, causing the structure to collapse onto the carriageway and the motorcycle passing beneath it, leaving the biker critically injured.
The incident brought traffic on the busy highway to a standstill, with the fallen structure and the tipper obstructing the carriageway, triggering a nearly 5km snarl on both sides.
Cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles remained stuck for five hours as police and officials worked to clear the obstruction.
According to police, the motorcyclist, who is yet to be identified, was passing through the stretch when the overhead structure came crashing down following the impact. He was trapped beneath the debris and sustained critical injuries. Commuters pulled him out of the debris and rushed him to a hospital for treatment, the police said.
Sub-inspector Sukhwinder Singh, SHO of Ladhowal police station, said, “The tipper driver fled the spot abandoning the vehicle after the mishap. Traffic movement was restored after five hours when the signboard was removed. A probe is on.”
Police said the tipper’s rear body was in a raised position and protruding above the vehicle when it struck the overhead signboard. Carrying the rear body in such a position on a public road is a violation of traffic safety norms and is being examined as a key aspect of the incident.
