Man dies after van hits bike on potholed road

Hazaribag: A speeding DJ-laden pick-up van rammed into a bike head-on while trying to avoid a pothole on the dilapidated stretch of NH-522 near Kendua More on Thursday. The motorcyclist died while the pillion rider sustained serious injuries. The van driver has been arrested, the officer-in-charge of Tatijhariya police station, Indrajeet Kumar, said. The deceased Santosh Pandit (40), a resident of Bhundarni in Rajdhanwar of Giridih district. Santosh (38) from Dumariatand in Giridih, reportedly speech and hearing impaired, sustained serious injuries and was sent to a hospital. Eyewitnesses said that the pick-up van, which was coming from Vishnugarh, was speeding. The driver suddenly swerved to avoid a deep pothole and lost control of the vehicle, which crossed over into the opposite lane and collided head-on with the bike. The impact leftt the bike mangled.