A 60-year-old motorcyclist was killed after his two-wheeler hit a dead cow lying on Nagpur- Jabalpur Highway near Khapri here, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at around 6 pm on Monday when Bhanudas Ramrao Jangle, a resident of Sudarshan Nagar, was riding towards Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport (MIHAN) in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, an official said.
Jangle, a technician with a private company, failed to notice a dead cow lying on the bypass, as it was dark. He hit the carcass, fell on the road and sustained severe head injuries, he added.
"Although Jangle was wearing a helmet, it wasn't buckled properly, causing severe head trauma," said a police official.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Tuesday, the official said, adding that CCTV footage from the area is being examined to ascertain the sequence of events.
The police suspect that the cow may have been hit by a truck at the bypass and are trying to find out if the animal belonged to someone in the area.
The Hudkeshwar police have registered the case under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.