Kozhikode: A seven-year-old boy died after falling from an autorickshaw and being run over by a lorry near Pulparambu in Chennamangallur, Kozhikode, on Friday evening.

The victim, K Aman, a second-grade student of Manassery Government UP School, was returning home from school when the accident occurred around 5 pm. He was the son of Shamish Kavungal, Lead UI Designer at Mathrubhumi’s digital section, Kozhikode.

According to preliminary information, Aman was travelling in the autorickshaw along with the driver’s son and two children of his paternal uncle. It is suspected that the right-side door of the vehicle opened accidentally while it was moving, causing the child to fall onto the road.

A lorry coming from the opposite direction ran over Aman after he fell. He suffered serious head injuries and died at the scene.

Authorities said autorickshaws generally have an additional lock at the bottom of the right-side door to prevent it from opening suddenly. Initial findings suggest that the absence of this lock may have contributed to the accident.

The lorry was driven by Asees, a resident of Omassery. Aman’s body has been shifted to Kozhikode Medical College and will be handed over to relatives after a post-mortem examination on Saturday morning. The incident has raised concerns over safety measures in vehicles used for children’s daily school travel.

Aman’s elder sister Ima, a fourth-grade student at the same school, also travelled in the same autorickshaw regularly but did not attend school on Friday due to illness. Aman’s mother, Bini, works as Head Nurse at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.