A 28-year-old truck driver was killed after a stone chip-laden vehicle crashed into a roadside tree at Kudaga village in Chainpur, near Daltonganj, police said. The accident occurred at about 10.30pm on Wednesday while the truck was travelling from Kurso stone quarry to a housing colony in Daltonganj.
The deceased driver was identified as Pankaj Prajapati, a resident of Semri Khurd village in Bishrampur block. Chainpur police station officer in charge Lalji said the cleaner was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash, while Prajapati was seated beside him.
The cleaner survived the accident. The impact caused a large branch from the roadside tree to pierce the truck cabin, trapping Prajapati inside. Rescuers cut through the branch to extricate his body.
The crash took place under the jurisdiction of Chainpur police station. The reported movement between the stone quarry and a housing colony placed the vehicle on a route serving both construction-material supply and residential development in the Daltonganj area.
Police said the cleaner survived, while the driver died in the crash. The report did not provide further details about the vehicle’s speed, the road conditions, or whether any other person was injured.
The accident highlights the risks faced by heavy vehicles transporting construction materials on routes connecting quarries with housing areas, although police have not publicly stated what caused the truck to leave the road. The immediate reported response was the rescue operation to recover Prajapati’s body from the damaged cabin.
