A 28-year-old man died after his bike rammed into a stationary trailer truck on a pitch dark stretch of Tata-Kandra Road near Adityapur Toll Bridge, around 5km from here, late on Sunday.

Vishwanath Chakraborty, a resident of Uliyan in Kadma in the steel city, was an employee of a private firm in Adityapur industrial area. He was rushed to MGM Medical College and Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead past 11pm.

Adityapur OC Vijay Singh said the victim was not wearing a helmet. The driver and cleaner of the heavy vehicle fled the spot after the mishap. Police have seized the trailer (NL 01K-4868) and brought it to Adityapur thana.

“The stretch of road where the accident took place is dark because of defunct streetlights. Also, the trailer didn’t have retro-reflective tape (that glow in the dark). Hence, the biker couldn’t see what was in front of him. A glow sticker and a helmet may have saved his life,” the officer said.

Around 25,000 vehicles pass through Tata-Kandra Road during the day and around 5,000 every night. At least seven high-mast lamps had been installed along the 15km artery constructed by Jharkhand Accelerated Road Development Company in 2012.

One of these high-mast lamps near the toll bridge has been defunct for the past year and a half. Although Seraikela-Kharsawan DC Chhabi Ranjan had written to Adityapur Toll Bridge Company for repairs six months ago, nothing has been done so far.

Narrow escape

A 25-year-old man escaped with bruises when his scooter rammed into a truck from behind at Tinplate Chowk in Golmuri on Monday. The two-wheeler was badly damaged. Golmuri OC Amis Hussein said the youth fell off his scooter while trying to overtake the truck from the wrong side.