Chennai: A man riding pillion on a motorcycle died and its rider was seriously injured after the two-wheeler hit the railing of the Alwarpet flyover on Sunday. The rider and his pillion flew off the bike and landed on the road 50ft below. While the pillion died on the spot, the rider suffered head injuries.Police identified the victim as Shiva Shanmugham, a 39-year-old welder from Mandaveli. His friend Stephenraj, a 35-year-old bank employee, was riding towards C P Ramasamy Road from T T K Road when he tried to negotiate a curve on the flyover before hitting the railing.Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud thud and found the two lying in a pool of blood on the road at the Eldams Road - T T K Road intersection. The bike did not fall off the flyover.Adithya, a resident of Lavanya Apartment on C P Ramasamy Road, was speaking on the phone when he saw the duo falling down from the flyover. "I witnessed the horrific accident. My father and I rushed to the spot. We took the rider's phone and called up his friend to inform him about the accident ," said Adithya. "We see at least three accidents in a year. The height of the railing should be increased," he said.Following the accident, a crowd gathered at the spot. Residents said negotiating the curve on the flyover is risky, especially at night. "I saw the rider getting entangled in a overhead cable before falling down," said Prabhu, another resident.On information, Adyar traffic investigation police personnel went to the spot and recovered Shanmugham's body. The welder is survived by his wife Chithra and two children. Police said the two were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident. The Adyar traffic investigation police have registered a case and have sent Shanmugham's body to the Government Royapettah Hospital for autopsy. Sthephenraj is being treated at a private hospital.This is not the first time there has been an accident at the same spot. In 2006, a couple were thrown off a motorcycle in almost similar fashion. They landed on a moving car and survived with injuries in the head, arms and legs. Last April, a biker died in a similar manner. He hit the parapet wall and fell down.

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