Truck-Pick-up Collision Kills Dairy Trader, Highway Blocked

A dairy trader was killed and a pick-up driver was seriously injured after a truck collided head-on with their vehicle in Ullapara, Sirajganj, early on Tuesday morning.

The deceased was identified as Saddam Hossain, son of Sadek Ali of Goal Bathan village in Singra upazila of Natore district. He was involved in the dairy trade and was travelling towards Shahjadpur from Singra in a pick-up when the accident occurred.

The collision took place at around 4am near Patdhari Bazar on the Dhaka-Pabna highway. According to local residents and eyewitnesses, the pick-up was travelling towards Shahjadpur when a truck coming from the opposite direction crashed into it near the market.

The impact left Saddam Hossain dead at the scene. The pick-up driver sustained serious injuries in the crash and was subsequently taken for treatment, although details of his condition were not immediately available.

The accident later led to a protest on the busy highway. Local residents alleged that police did not arrive at the scene promptly despite being informed several times after the crash. They claimed that officers reached the area roughly three hours later.

Angered by what they described as a delay in the emergency response, residents placed Saddam’s body on the highway and blocked traffic. The protest caused significant disruption on the Dhaka-Pabna route, with a traffic queue stretching for around two kilometres.

Some residents argued that a faster response could have allowed the injured people to receive emergency assistance sooner. They also expressed frustration over what they considered an inadequate response following a serious road accident.

The police, however, rejected allegations of negligence.

Sanowar Hossain, duty officer at Hatikumrul Highway Police Station, said officers had been sent to the scene quickly after the accident was reported through the emergency service. He disputed the claim that the police deliberately delayed responding to the incident.

Sub-Inspector Kishore Kumar Pal of Hatikumrul Highway Police Station said the authorities had not received immediate information about the accident, which caused some delay in reaching the location.

He said the delay contributed to local anger and prompted residents to block the highway with the victim’s body. Police later spoke to the protesters and persuaded them to clear the road, allowing traffic to resume.

The body was recovered from the highway and handed over to Saddam Hossain’s family, according to the police.

The incident highlights the disruption that serious road crashes can cause on major highways, particularly when traffic is blocked following an accident. The Dhaka-Pabna highway is an important road link for passenger and commercial vehicles travelling through the region, meaning even a temporary blockade can result in lengthy queues and delays.

The circumstances surrounding the collision, including how the truck and pick-up came into a head-on position, were not detailed in the initial report. The police response time also became a central point of disagreement between local residents and highway police following the accident.

Traffic eventually returned to normal after the protesters withdrew and the highway was cleared.