A 28-year-old pickup driver was killed after his vehicle, carrying a load of bananas, crashed into the rear of a moving covered van on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway in Mirsarai, Chattogram, early on Sunday.
The accident occurred at around 6am on 18 October in the Dhaka-bound lane near the Ghartakia road junction in the Sonapahar area of Mirsarai upazila.
The deceased was identified as Md Riaz, son of Abbas Ali, from the College Gate area of Rangamati Sadar upazila. He was driving the banana-laden pickup towards Dhaka when the collision took place.
According to police, Riaz was travelling behind a covered van whose identity was not immediately known. As the vehicles approached the Ghartakia road junction, the covered van reportedly braked sharply. Riaz was unable to bring his pickup to a halt in time and struck the back of the vehicle with considerable force.
The impact left him seriously injured. Personnel from the Baraiyarhat Fire Service and Civil Defence, assisted by local residents, rescued him from the scene and took him to Mirsarai Upazila Health Complex. The doctor on duty declared him dead after he arrived at the hospital.
Sub-Inspector Md Asaduzzaman, the officer in charge of the Jorarganj Highway Police outpost, confirmed the accident and Riaz’s death. He said the crash occurred in the Dhaka-bound lane early in the morning and that the driver had sustained critical injuries. Despite being taken to hospital, Riaz could not be saved.
Police said the process of taking the necessary legal action was under way. The identity of the covered van and the circumstances surrounding its sudden braking had not been established in the initial account of the incident. No further details were provided about whether the van stopped after the collision or whether its driver had been identified.
The crash highlights the risks faced by drivers transporting goods along the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway, one of Bangladesh’s major routes for passenger and commercial traffic. Pickup vans, covered vans, lorries and buses share the busy road, where sudden changes in speed can lead to serious collisions, particularly when vehicles travel too close together.
Maintaining a safe following distance and adjusting speed to road conditions are important precautions for drivers, especially when carrying heavy or bulky loads. However, the precise cause of this accident can only be established through an investigation into the circumstances at the scene.
Police have said that the necessary legal procedures are being pursued. Further information about the investigation and the identification of the covered van was not immediately available.
