Truck driver injured critically at freight yard after coming into contact with overhead power line

Chalakudy: A truck driver suffered burns over 65% of his body after receiving an electric shock from a high-tension railway line while covering his load at Chalakudy railway station on Thursday.

Sajikumar, 50, of Ezhattuparayil House in Kattur near Irinjalakuda, came into contact with the overhead power line, which supplies electricity to trains, around 10 a.m. The shock threw him onto the roof of a freight train parked nearby.

Sajikumar had climbed onto the lorry to spread a tarpaulin sheet over the load when he came dangerously close to the high-tension line. Loading workers at the spot said his body caught fire and his clothes were burnt. They brought him down from the train and rushed him to St James Hospital in Chalakudy. He was later shifted to Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital.

The incident has once again put the spotlight on the safety risks faced by lorry drivers and loading workers operating directly beneath the high-voltage line in the freight unloading area.

A similar electrocution at the same spot around one-and-a-half years ago had claimed the life of a Kozhikode native.

Safety concerns remain despite station makeover
Chalakudy railway station may have received a multi-crore makeover, but safety remains a concern. Complaints about the lack of safeguards for lorry drivers and loading workers operating beneath the high-voltage overhead line were raised years ago, but no corrective measures followed. A fatal accident at the same spot one-and-a-half years ago also failed to prompt action.

At several other railway stations equipped for freight loading and unloading, the overhead power supply is switched off while goods are being unloaded from freight trains. At Chalakudy, however, no such precaution is taken.The latest accident has intensified demands for immediate safety measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.