A young couple on a motorcycle was killed and their three-year-old son suffered injuries when the vehicle hit a roadside tree trying to avert a head-on collision with a truck trying to overtake another on Krishnangar-Karimpur state highway on Saturday morning.

Police said that Kamal Mondal, 28, of Goas, and his wife Mousumi Biwi, 24, died on the spot around 10.30am. Their son Anish suffered multiple injuries and has been admitted to the Nadia district hospital in Krishnagar.

The mishap occurred near a fuel station at Nazirpur area of the stretch of the highway. The family was going to visit a doctor in Nazirpur for the child, family sources said.

According to an eyewitness, Kamal was riding on his track on way to Krishnagar. “But a truck from the opposite direction suddenly came in front of him while trying to overtake another. Kamal in a desperate attempt to avert the head-on collision with the speeding truck tried to ride towards to edge of the road but ended up hitting a big tree”, eyewitness Swapan Saha said.

The husband and wife did not wear helmets, he added.

Local residents took the victims to Nazirpur primary health centre, where the couple was declared dead. Their son was transferred to Tehatta subdivision hospital and then to Krishnagar because of his deteriorating condition.

Residents blamed police for not monitoring reckless driving on the Krishnagar-Karimpur state highway.

An officer of Krishnagar police district, however, claimed regular monitoring. “At the same time, we urge people to wear helmets. Unless people become conscious about the dangers of riding without a helmet, nothing can change,” he said.