Four vehicles collide on Bhatkal highway after cow strays onto road

Bhatkal: A chain collision involving four vehicles was reported on the national highway near Shetty Garage in Bhatkal taluk on Friday after a cow suddenly came onto the road.

According to eyewitnesses, a car travelling from Kerala towards Maharashtra swerved to avoid hitting the cow that appeared abruptly in front of it. In the process, the car first rammed into a goods auto-rickshaw. It then hit a newly purchased Bolero pickup vehicle and subsequently collided with another pickup that had just exited a nearby garage after repairs. The vehicle also crashed into a roadside speed signboard pole.

Due to the impact, all the vehicles reportedly slid down the slope beside the highway. The car was carrying a couple from Kerala along with their three children. All of them escaped without injuries. However, the driver of the goods auto-rickshaw sustained minor injuries.

A crane was used to lift the damaged vehicles from the slope, during which traffic movement on the highway was affected for some time.

Following the incident, local residents expressed concern over the increasing number of stray animals on the Bhatkal stretch of the national highway. They urged the municipal authorities and the taluk administration to take immediate steps to prevent stray animals from entering the highway and to ensure safer road conditions