Scooter hits truck negotiating guard rails, woman dies while saving baby
Times of India | 15 November 2025
Kolkata: A 34-year-old young mother died while trying to save her two-year-old son after the electric scooter they were riding collided with a truck manoeuvring around a cluster of closely spaced guard rails at Kaikhali crossing on VIP Road late on Thursday.
Victim Puja Mondal Jaiswal, a resident of Hatiara Jheelbagan, was returning home with her husband, Rajkumar Jaiswal, and their child around 11.30 pm when the fatal crash happened. Police confirmed that none of the three riders was wearing a helmet.
According to officers of Baguiati PS, the family was travelling from the Haldiram service road towards the 45 Bus Stand cutout. After moving from the left service lane onto the main flank towards Kaikhali crossing, the scooter approached a 10-wheeler goods vehicle.
Witnesses said the truck was swerving left and right to navigate multiple guar drails placed just a few metres apart near the intersection.
Rajkumar told police he did not realise that the iron barriers were positioned in the middle of the road and attempted to overtake the truck from the left. At that moment, the truck driver steered left to avoid another guard rail, bringing the scooter into the vehicle's blind spot.
The scooter's right mirror scraped the truck, throwing the three riders off balance.
"All three were hurled onto the road. The child was seated between his parents, and as the scooter toppled, the woman — who fell backwards — pushed her son towards the footpath in an attempt to shield him. The man and the boy landed on the left side of the truck, sustaining minor injuries. The woman, however, fell on her spine close to the truck's right rear wheels.
Her head struck the wheel before the vehicle came to a stop about four to five metres ahead," said a civic volunteer.
Passersby rushed the trio to a nearby hospital, where Puja was declared dead on arrival. Rajkumar and the child were treated and discharged later at night. Police have seized the truck and arrested its driver and initiated a probe.
The crash has once again turned the spotlight on the contentious guard rails that cops frequently deploy across busy corridors in New Town, Salt Lake, and other parts of the city.
Motorists and residents have long complained that the barriers, often placed at very short intervals, force vehicles to weave dangerously and lead to sudden braking, particularly at night.
Traffic experts said visibility becomes worse on foggy winter nights when the blue-and-white guard rails blend into the surroundings. "Under low light or mist, these iron structures are extremely difficult to spot. Ideally, guard rails should be wrapped in prismatic reflective sheets so they glow in the dark," a road-safety engineer said.
Another expert noted that vehicles require adequate distance to slow down after detecting a barrier.
Bidhannagar Police, however, defended their use, saying the barriers help regulate speed and create checkpoints on stretches without speed cameras. "They are necessary to force vehicles to slow down in critical zones," a senior officer said.