Kollam: Driver negligence was the primary cause of the truck accident at Mukkonimukku in Neduvathoor near Kottarakkara that claimed three lives and left several others injured early Tuesday morning, according to the preliminary report submitted by the Motor Vehicles Department's Enforcement Wing.

The report found that the driver descended the slope in top gear while the truck was travelling at high speed. It said the braking system alone was insufficient to reduce the vehicle's speed, causing the driver to lose control. The truck first rammed into a roadside wall before ploughing into people waiting at a nearby bus stop.

The MVD report noted that the accident could likely have been avoided had the driver shifted to a lower gear while negotiating the slope, which would have provided better control over the heavily loaded vehicle. It also observed that the truck's heavy load intensified the impact of the crash. 

The three people killed in the accident were Parthipan (15), a Class 10 student, Harilal (54), an insurance agent, and Ajayakumar (50), a KSRTC mechanic. All three were natives of Neeleswaram.

The driver, Nisar (40), a native of Chavara, sustained multiple injuries in the crash. Meanwhile, media reports have suggested that Nisar was speaking on his mobile phone at the time of the accident. Following the incident, the Kottarakkara Police registered a case of culpable homicide against the driver.

The Motor Vehicles Department has also suspended Motor Vehicle Inspector Sudhin Gopi, Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector Sharat S. Kumar, and the Karunagappally Sub Regional Transport Officer (Sub RTO) on charges of issuing a fitness certificate to the truck despite existing defects. Departmental disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against the officials.