Child in class three who goes to kiosk to buy ball -- run over by tipper and dies!

Child in class three who goes to kiosk to buy ball -- run over by tipper and dies!

A small child in Wannamaduwa area had been on his way along the road that runs to Ethungama from Thirappane to buy a ball from a kiosk day before yesterday (31) afternoon on his push-bike when he was run over by a tipper, resulting in death on the spot. 

The deceased is a child by the name of Malindu Thilakshana (8) studying in grade 3 of Mahanama Primary School in Alisthana, Thirappane.  For the purpose of playing cricket with his friends he had gone to the kiosk close to his house and that was on a push-cycle. On that journey, he had tried to
overtake a lorry parked on the left-hand side and had swerved the push-cycle towards the middle of the road. Just at that moment he  had benn knocked by a tipper with a load of gravel coming from the direction of Ethungama heading towards Thirippane. The child who was run over by the tipper had got dragged about 10 metres forward with the push-bike. 

It was revealed at police investigations that this child who had been going towards the nearby kiosk was run over by the tipper carrying gravel and that death was caused as a result of his head being crushed by a rear wheel. The accident referred to has occured just about 75 metres away from the child's house. 

Villagers who got into a rage when the accident happened had tried to assault the driver and he had been inside the vehicle with doors locked up from inside, for the sake of his security. Immediately police officers of Thirippane police arrived at the location and had taken action to take the driver to the police station. Later officer in charge of Thirippane police accompanied by police officers were subjected to heavy protest by villagers. With the strong protest by the villagers officer in charge of traffic division of Thirippane police lifted the dead body of the child who was wrapped up with a cloth and lying on the middle of the road and was taken to Anuradhapura general hospital in the police jeep. 

Police said that Sumith Kelum Samarakoon, driver of the tipper who was living down Thirippane - Kandy Road was taken into custody by Thirippane police. Because of a sick condition that the driver taken into custody had developed, that very afternoon Thirippane police had taken steps to admit him to Anuradhapura teaching hospital. The suspect-driver who was undergoing treatment under police protection is expected to report to Anuradhapura courts yesterday (1) through a 'B' report. Thirippane police are conducting further inquiries regarding the incident.