A one-and-a-half-year-old boy was killed after being run over by a mini-truck delivering RO water bottles in Shahdara village of Sector 141, Noida, on Tuesday morning, with police saying the driver fled after abandoning the vehicle at the scene.
The accident occurred at around 10.20 am in a narrow lane near a T-junction, a few metres from the child’s rented home. According to police, the mini-truck was reversing through the lane when the toddler moved into its path. The driver allegedly failed to see him in time, and the vehicle’s rear wheels ran over the child, causing severe head injuries.
The boy’s mother was inside the house carrying out household chores when she heard about the accident and rushed outside. His father was away at work at the time. The family, originally from Bihar, had been living in the village on rent.
A police officer associated with the investigation said the driver noticed the child only after the vehicle had run over him. “By the time the driver noticed the child and could stop the vehicle, its rear wheel had run over the boy, leaving him with grievous head injuries,” the officer said.
The family and local residents alerted the police through the emergency helpline 112. The child was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.
The driver allegedly fled after realising that the child had been crushed under the vehicle. Police seized the mini-truck and said efforts were under way to identify and trace the driver. The vehicle was reportedly being used to deliver water bottles in the residential area.
A case is being registered at Sector 142 police station on the basis of a complaint lodged by the family. Police said the driver would be booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by negligence and rash driving. The investigation and efforts to trace the driver are continuing.
