68-year-old Gandhimanian was seated on the side of Kuthuspuram street in Tiruppur near his house on Sunday, November 25 night, when suddenly a car that was driving down the street began heading towards him.
Within seconds, the car ran over Gandhimanian, severely injuring him before coming to a stop just outside a house gate. CCTV footage of the incident shows the car heading towards a seated Gandhimanian. A few people were soon seen running towards the car, as it came to a stop after hitting Gandhimanian. Following this, a young girl stepped out from the driver’s seat. It was later discovered that the girl driving the car was reportedly no older than 13 years of age.
Gandhimanian, who has sustained injuries on his hands, knees, shoulder and feet, also cracked his ribs in the accident. Speaking to TNM, his son G Nagarajan says, “The accident was unfortunate but my father is now recovering from his injuries. It might take a few months for him to completely heal.” Nagarajan also said that the platform on which his father was seated alone that day is usually where they sometimes sit after dinner.
Gandhimanian’s family, however, did not file a complaint following requests made by the girl’s family. “She had been learning how to drive and was accompanied by a relative that evening. We agreed not to file a complaint,” Nagarajan adds.
In May this year, a 13-year-old boy was crushed to death in Chennai while his sister had a narrow escape after the two-wheeler the boy was riding collided with an oil tanker. Jayaseelan (13) and his sister (18), both residents of Redhills, were on their way to buy groceries. The two-wheeler reportedly skid on loose gravel on the road and Jayaseelan lost his balance. Jayaseelan fell onto the road and came under one of the rear wheels of the lorry.
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