Chennai: An unidentified man died after being run over by a speeding truck while attempting to cross a median on Surya Narayana Chetty Street in Royapuram on Saturday night. Police are yet to establish the identity of the victim.Police said the man was trying to reach the other side of the road and noticed a small gap in the median around 7.30pm during peak traffic. Unable to pass through it, he climbed over the median, holding on to a CCTV pole, and attempted to walk along the median. He reportedly lost his balance and fell towards the road when a speeding truck approaching from behind ran over him, killing him on the spot.After being alerted by the public, traffic police intercepted the truck at the next signal and seized the vehicle. Driver, Selvam, 62, of Annai Sivagami Nagar in Ennore, was detained. He told the police that he did not notice the man as it was dark.Selvam was transporting a load from Ennore Port to Tiruporur when the accident occurred. Police later booked him for causing death by negligence.As the victim’s face was severely disfigured in the accident, police have not been able to identify him. Washermenpet traffic investigation wing police recovered the body and sent it to Stanley govt hospital for postmortem.Police said many pedestrians continue to jaywalk on the stretch without considering the risks involved. They said that the deceased man could have crossed the road safely at a junction located just about 50m away.Police collected the victim’s fingerprints and are checking missing-person complaints registered at city police stations. They suspect he may be from Royapuram locality.Further investigation is underway.
