One man was killed and another injured when a three-wheeler and a car collided on the Trincomalee-Habarana road at Kituluthuwa on Saturday.
The driver of the three-wheeler died of his injuries, Hiru News reported, citing Agbopura police. A passenger travelling in the same vehicle was injured and admitted to Kantale Base Hospital.
How the collision happened
Police said the three-wheeler was travelling from Kantale towards Habarana when it turned right towards a roadside shop. A car coming from the opposite direction struck the vehicle as it turned.
The man who died was a resident of Kituluthuwa village, where the crash occurred. The occupants of the car are residents of Habarana, police said.
The traffic division of the Agbopura police is conducting further investigations.
Context
The Trincomalee-Habarana road is the main east-west artery linking the eastern port city to the A6 trunk route and the north-central interior, carrying a heavy mix of long-distance freight and local three-wheeler traffic through a string of roadside settlements. Right turns across fast-moving traffic into shops and side access points are a recurring hazard on exactly this kind of road: a single carriageway with high approach speeds and no turning lane.
Three-wheelers account for a disproportionate share of Sri Lankan road deaths relative to their share of traffic, reflecting both their low crash protection and their heavy presence on rural trunk roads. Road deaths remain a persistent public-health burden, with 44 people killed over the Avurudu holiday period earlier this year.
Not reported
Hiru does not name the man who died, give his age, or state the time of the crash. It does not say how many people were in the car, whether anyone in it was injured, whether any arrest has been made, or whether speed or any other factor is suspected. No police officer is quoted by name.
No other verified newsroom had filed on the collision at the time of writing.
