A 22-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a head-on collision with an autorickshaw on the Bhajaniya-Haidernagar road in Palamu on Monday, while police sources said calls to the 108 ambulance service allegedly went unanswered after the crash.
The deceased was identified as Rohit Kumar, a resident of Sighna village. According to police, Kumar was travelling towards Haidernagar when his motorcycle collided with an autorickshaw coming from the opposite direction under the Mohammadganj police station area.
Mohammadganj police station officer in charge Narayan Soren said a preliminary inquiry indicated that the autorickshaw was travelling on its correct side of the road. “The accident appeared to have resulted from the motorcyclist’s driving. Despite the road being wide and relatively free of traffic, the two vehicles collided head-on,” Soren said.
Kumar sustained critical injuries in the crash and was taken to Hussainabad Sub-Divisional Hospital. He later died from multiple injuries, according to the report.
The reported delay in emergency transport has added a public-service concern to the fatal road crash. Police sources said calls made to the 108 ambulance service allegedly received no response. A police patrol vehicle subsequently transported the injured man to the hospital.
The incident highlights how the outcome of a road crash can depend not only on the collision itself but also on the speed and availability of emergency medical transport. In this case, the police vehicle became the immediate means of taking the injured motorcyclist to hospital after the ambulance calls allegedly went unanswered. The report does not provide details on the number of calls made, the time taken to reach the hospital or the reason for the alleged non-response.
Police seized the autorickshaw after the collision. Its driver fled the scene, but police said his identity had been established and that efforts were underway to apprehend him.
The preliminary police account places the autorickshaw on its correct side of the road and attributes the collision to the motorcyclist’s driving. The investigation and the driver’s questioning are expected to establish the circumstances leading to the head-on impact. No further details about the condition of the road, vehicle speeds or possible witnesses were provided in the report.
The immediate next steps are the police effort to apprehend the autorickshaw driver and the continuation of the inquiry into the crash. The alleged failure of the 108 ambulance response remains a separate emergency-service issue requiring clarification from the responsible authorities.
