Tragedy struck on a busy southern highway as a speeding pickup van laden with live poultry veered off the road and smashed violently into a roadside tree in the dead of night. The devastating collision resulted in the immediate death of the vehicle’s assistant, while leaving the driver and another passenger severely injured. Road safety advocates note that such early morning accidents underscore the persistent dangers of driver fatigue and speeding on regional transport routes across the country.
The fatal mishap occurred in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, at approximately 3:00 am. The utility vehicle was navigating the Barishal-Kuakata highway when disaster struck near Khejurtola area, situated within the Dapdapia union under the Nalchity upazila of Jhalakathi district. The deceased assistant was identified as forty-year-old Md Imran, a resident of the Dashmina area in the neighbouring Patuakhali district and the son of the late Momin Uddin.
According to preliminary accounts from local witnesses and highway authorities, the poultry-laden pickup was transporting goods through the darkness when the driver inexplicably lost control of the steering wheel. The vehicle veered sharply off the tarmac and collided head-on with a large mature tree lining the highway. The impact was catastrophic, instantly overturning the vehicle, scattering crates of poultry across the road surface, and crushing the cabin where Imran was seated. He succumbed to his fatal injuries instantly, trapped within the wreckage before emergency assistance could arrive. The driver and the remaining occupant sustained multiple traumatic injuries and were left incapacitated inside the mangled vehicle.
The eerie silence of the pre-dawn hours was shattered by the sound of the crash, prompting nearby residents to rush out of their homes to investigate. Upon discovering the grim scene, villagers immediately attempted to extricate the trapped survivors while alerting local law enforcement. Officers from the Nalchity Police Station responded swiftly to the emergency call, arriving at the site alongside community volunteers to manage the rescue operation.
Working in coordination with relevant highway police units, officers managed to pull the injured individuals from the wreckage. An emergency ambulance transport was arranged, rushing the critically wounded driver and passenger to the Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for urgent, specialized trauma care. Medical personnel at the hospital admitted the injured individuals to the emergency ward, where their conditions continue to be monitored closely. Meanwhile, the body of the deceased assistant was recovered from the site and prepared for preliminary inquest procedures.
Nalchity Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Tauhiduzzaman formally confirmed the details of the incident to the press. He stated that police teams acted promptly upon receiving information about the disaster, securing the highway stretch and facilitating the hospital transfers. Authorities have initiated formal legal procedures regarding the fatal crash, and investigations are underway to determine the precise mechanical or human factors that caused the driver to lose control.
