A teenage girl walking along the side of the road was hit by an auto after the vehicle veered off its path on Beadon Street and keeled over while trying to avoid hitting a motorcycle.
Residents said the auto plying along the Maniktala-Nimtala Ghat route first tried to avoid driving over a heap of sand dumped on the road and then veered off its path when it came face to face with a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction.
Police said the girl, identified as Astha Gupta, was first taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and then to the Institute of Neurosciences. Officials at the Institute of Neurosciences said she has been admitted to the ITU and that her condition was "stable." Astha has been admitted with injuries on her head and one of her arms.
The accident on Monday morning highlights a larger problem of construction materials being dumped along the thoroughfares that not only encroach the roads but also make them prone to accidents.
Several people on Bedon Street told Metro on Monday that it was a "practice" to dump bags of sand or rubbish on the road.
"Trucks often use rubbish and sandbags to increase their weight at the weighing scales. After that, they dispose of the bags but get a scope to overload," said a resident of Beadon Street where the accident happened on Monday morning.
Another resident said the sand was lying almost in the middle of the road in a dangerous way.
Beadon Street is a two-way road and is considered to be one of the busiest roads in north Kolkata.
In a city where road space is limited, encroached footpaths and reckless movement of autos only add to the plight of the pedestrians.
Police said, they have impounded the autorickshaw and arrested the driver.
An officer said the accident happened at 5.45am when the number of vehicles on the road was few.