A pillion rider of a motorbike fell around 80ft to his death after the two-wheeler hit the guard wall of the Parama flyover where its Ruby and Salt Lake-bound flanks bifurcate on Wednesday morning.
The deceased, Keshab Jha, had his head smashed under the impact, police said. The 24-year-old was declared dead at SSKM hospital. The rider, Deep Srivastav, 21, suffered minor injuries in his legs, said an officer.
Both the riders, residents of Railway Colony in Anandapur, were wearing helmets, they said.
This is the second accident on a city flyover in 48 hours.
Early on Monday, a head-on collision between a car and an SUV on the AJC Bose Road flyover, which is connected to Parama, injured seven, including employees of an IT company.
A "Go Slow" board being installed at the accident spot; reflector tapes pasted on the guard wall of the Parama flyover
On Wednesday, the accident occurred around 8.15am near the Tiljala traffic guard.
“The bike rammed into the divider that separates the flanks leading to the Ruby intersection and Salt Lake. The crash impact was such that the pillion rider was flung into the air before falling on the road below through a gap. He fell from a height of around 80ft. Both riders were wearing helmets. The rider escaped with minor injuries but the pillion rider did not survive. He was bleeding profusely,” said an officer of Tiljala traffic guard.
The police are scanning CCTV footage for more clarity on the accident.
After the accident, Srivastav is said to have told the police that he lost control of the two-wheeler as another car was trying to overtake him at speed.
But the police contested this version. They said that the huge number of cars headed to both EM Bypass and Ultadanga in the morning rush hour makes it almost impossible for vehicles to overtake at speed.
The gap through which the pillion rider fell to his death
“It seems the rider was confused about which ramp to take. He applied the brakes just before hitting the divider, because of which the bike did not suffer much damage. But the rear wheel was lifted off the ground and the pillion was flung into the air. He hit a concrete slab meant to hold pipes that drain water from the flyover before landing on the road,” said a senior police officer.
Two-wheeler riders falling to death from flyovers is not new in Calcutta. In the wee hours of April 8, 2022, a 21-year-old man, riding pillion on his friend’s motorcycle, was flung off the Parama flyover before he fell to his death on the road.