Tue Feb 18 15:05:40 UTC 2025: ## Near Miss: Sand-Laden Lorry Crashes into Visakhapatnam Children’s Park

**VISAKHAPATNAM, February 18, 2025** – A major accident was narrowly averted on Tuesday morning in Visakhapatnam when a sand-laden lorry crashed into the boundary wall of the Children’s Park on Beach Road near Hotel Novotel Junction. The lorry, reportedly experiencing brake failure, careened into the wall at approximately 6:45 a.m. While several morning walkers and motorists escaped unharmed by mere seconds, at least one person sustained minor injuries.

The incident has raised concerns about the lack of preventative measures on Beach Road, which has seen similar incidents in the past. In May 2017, a private school bus crash on the same road resulted in one fatality and several injuries.

Police are investigating the cause of Tuesday’s accident, exploring possibilities including driver fatigue, intoxication, or the driver’s unfamiliarity with the road’s steep incline. While the driver claimed brake failure, investigations are ongoing.

The police have acknowledged the stretch of road as a “black spot” and have announced measures to prevent future incidents. These include inspections by senior officers and potential enforcement of existing rules restricting heavy vehicle movement on that particular route between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. A previously proposed plan to install railings to deter heavy vehicles from using the Pandi Metta Junction to Novotel route, a collaboration between the police and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), remains unrealized. Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi stated that steps will be taken to ensure such accidents do not recur.

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