Road accidents lead to five deaths including a toddler

A total of five fatalities, including the death of a toddler, has been reported due to separate road accidents in various parts of the island.

The accidents were reported from Maho, Manampitiya, Balangoda and Silawathura yesterday, Police said.

A couple had died when a speeding van veered off the road and rammed onto a tree on the side of the Anuradhapura-Padeniya road in Maho.

The deceased, a 56-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, were residents of Weliweriya.

Meanwhile, in Rukmalkandura in the Balangoda Police Division, the driver of a lorry ran over a male child while attempting to reverse a lorry that was parked opposite a house.

Police said the child, who sustained serious injuries, succumbed upon admission to the Balangoda Hospital.

The deceased child was 1 year and 7 months old and was the son of the lorry driver.

The 39-year-old father who drove the lorry and caused the accident has been taken into custody.

Meanwhile, in Manampitiya, along the Makulpotha-Dimbulagala road, an accident occurred when a motorcycle skidded off the road and collided with an elderly female pedestrian.

The critically injured pedestrian and the motorcyclist were admitted to the Manampitiya and Polonnaruwa hospitals, respectively.

The pedestrian later succumbed to her injuries. The deceased was an 81-year-old resident of Makulpotha.

In another incident, in Silawathura, a motorcyclist died after ramming into a cow. As a result of the accident, the rider and the pillion passenger sustained serious injuries and were first admitted to the Silawathura Hospital. They were later transferred to the Mannar Hospital for further treatment. 

The rider succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment in the emergency care unit.

The deceased was a 59-year-old resident of Marichchukkaddi, Mannar.