Tamil Nadu tragedy: Car airbag kills boy sitting on father's lap; driver caught off guard by sudden braking

CHENNAI: A seven-year-old boy riding shotgun on his father's lap was killed when the airbag opened after the car rammed a vehicle in front that had braked suddenly near Thiruporur on Monday night.

Police identified the child as Kevin, son of Veeramuthu from Pudupattinam village near Kalpakkam. The child was travelling towards the city from Kalpakkam with his mom, dad, driver and two others in a rental car, driven by 26-year-old Vignesh. The group was passing through Alandur via Old Mahabalipuram Road when the driver of a car in front of them hit the brakes suddenly and swerved to the right near the Alathur petrol station.

Police said the other driver, 48-year-old Suresh of Paiyanur, had not flashed the indicator. Vignesh, caught off guard by the abrupt manoeuvre, could not stop in time and crashed into Suresh's vehicle.

The front airbag deployed during the impact and struck Kevin. The boy lost consciousness though there were no visible injuries. He was taken to the Thiruporur govt hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The Thiruporur police have registered a case of causing death by negligence and rash driving against Suresh. Kevin's body has been sent to Chengalpattu Medical College and Hospital for postmortem. Police said Suresh's failure to use the indicator and sudden braking at high speed were the primary causes of the collision. The airbag deployment proved fatal as the child was seated in the front seat, they added. Police said they were awaiting the postmortem report to confirm the exact cause of death, though preliminary findings suggest shock and haemorrhage due to polytrauma.