Tragic death at 26: Bank employee run over by speeding truck in Bengaluru on pothole-ridden road

A 26-year-old bank employee in Bengaluru has died after she was allegedly run over by a speeding truck when she fell off the pillion of a motorcycle, police said on Saturday.

The accident occurred on Friday on the Huskur–Makali road, which is alleged to be in poor condition and filled with potholes, they said.

“The deceased has been identified as Priyanka Kumari Poonia, a resident of Alur,” police said.

According to police, Priyanka was travelling with her brother, Naresh Kumar, who was riding the motorcycle. He applied the brakes suddenly after a car in front slowed down, allegedly due to a pothole on the road.

At that moment, a truck coming from the opposite direction hit the motorcycle's handlebars, causing Kumar to lose control of the vehicle "because of the poor road conditions", as stated in the complaint.

The impact threw Kumar, a businessman, to the left side of the road, while his sister Priyanka fell to the right and was allegedly run over by the truck, resulting in her death on the spot, a police official said.

Kumar escaped with minor injuries, police added.

The siblings were on their way to the Madavara metro station at around 11 am when the accident occurred, police said.

In his complaint, Kumar blamed the "poor condition of the road for the accident and sought action against the concerned authorities."

"The truck and its driver have been detained," a police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.

Earlier in September, a 20-year-old college student lost her life after being run over by a speeding truck near Budigere Cross. The victim, Dhanushree, a resident of Virgonagar, was a second-year BCom student at a private college in KR Pura, according to a report by the Times of India.

Siddaramaiah's ‘all potholes in Bengaluru must be filled in a week’ claim

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday instructed officials to ensure that all potholes in Bengaluru are filled within a week. This follows his earlier directive last month, which had set October 31 as the deadline for completing road repairs across the city’s five corporate limits.

The Chief Minister issued the order after inaugurating a series of road development projects, including white-topping works, in the Gandhinagar Assembly constituency.

The potholes remain a common concern for the citizens of Bengaluru. In a post on X, several social media users have shown their frustration against the Karnataka government over the lack of “civic facilities”.

Siddaramaiah had said he is providing funds to all MLAs for the development of their constituencies, allocating ₹8,000 crore in the budget for the purpose.

"White-topped roads last 25–30 years. We have already taken up 148 km of roads for white topping and are spending ₹1,800 crore for white topping 83 roads. Black topping is going on in 350 km of 182 roads at a cost of ₹695 crore. The CM has given a grant of ₹1,100 crore, and we have taken up asphalting of 550 km of roads," he listed out.

He also accused the central government and BJP MPs of “not cooperating in Bengaluru’s development.”

(With inputs from PTI)