Car driven in heavily drunk condition; victim's severed leg too badly damaged for reattachment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The severed leg of a biker who was critically injured after being hit by a speeding car in Pattoor could not be reattached. The victim, Prashanth Kumar (45), of Malayinkeezhu, sustained a traumatic amputation of his right leg below the thigh in the crash.

The severed limb, which was found in the nearby cemetery and rushed to the hospital, was too badly crushed to be surgically reattached, said the doctors of KIMS Hospital. Prashanth Kumar remains on ventilator support and is undergoing intensive treatment.

An airport billing clerk by profession, Prashanth was returning home after work when the accident occurred.

Meantime, Siddharth Sivan from Chadayamangalam who was in the driver’s seat, and his co-passenger, Anantha Krishnan from Vattiyoorkavu, have been remanded in judicial custody. Police have charged them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Medical examinations confirmed that both were heavily drunk, and empty liquor bottles were also found inside the car.

A forensic team examined the accident spot on Thursday evening. They examined the car, the damaged auto and the bike involved in the crash.

The accident occurred at around 6:30 pm on Wednesday near the Orthodox Church cemetery in Pattoor. According to police, the car, travelling towards Pattoor from the General Hospital side, went out of control immediately after negotiating the bend. It crossed the divider, rammed Prashanth Kumar's bike coming from the opposite direction, and then crashed into an auto before coming to a halt.

Prashanth and the injured auto passengers were rushed to the hospital in three ambulances. Witnesses said Prashanth alerted the people that his leg had been severed before losing consciousness. A subsequent search in the cemetery led to the recovery of the amputated limb, which was transported to the hospital in a separate ambulance.