14 kids hurt as racing state bus rams school bus

  • | Thursday | 17th January, 2019

Police confirmed this bus was racing against another state bus and was trying to overtake a car when it strayed into the other flank, leading to the collision.Phoolbagan police arrested the state bus driver. The state bus grazed the school bus’s right front corner, shattering the windshield and the headlamps.“I saw the bus speeding straight at me. Drivers of both buses tried to swerve to their left to avoid collision but the school bus driver did not have much room to his left. KOLKATA: A state bus racing against another on a nearempty Maniktala Main Road early on Wednesday morning hit a school bus ferrying students to DPS Ruby Park, leaving 14 children injured — most with facial wounds — and all of them in severe trauma.The school bus heading towards Kankurgachhi from Maniktala had just crossed the underpass below the railway bridge when it came face to face with a state bus that was trying to overtake a car after having overtaken another state bus. It did veer left but not soon enough to avoid collision,” school bus driver Murari Das recounted.Das escaped by a whisker but many of his young passengers were not so lucky.

KOLKATA: A state bus racing against another on a nearempty Maniktala Main Road early on Wednesday morning hit a school bus ferrying students to DPS Ruby Park, leaving 14 children injured — most with facial wounds — and all of them in severe trauma.The school bus heading towards Kankurgachhi from Maniktala had just crossed the underpass below the railway bridge when it came face to face with a state bus that was trying to overtake a car after having overtaken another state bus. Drivers of both buses tried to swerve to their left to avoid collision but the school bus driver did not have much room to his left. The state bus grazed the school bus’s right front corner, shattering the windshield and the headlamps.“I saw the bus speeding straight at me. I applied the brakes immediately and hoped the other bus would do so, too, and veer back to its lane. It did veer left but not soon enough to avoid collision,” school bus driver Murari Das recounted.Das escaped by a whisker but many of his young passengers were not so lucky. The students were hurled forward by the impact, their faces striking the handle bars in front, leading to facial injuries. Several suffered cuts on their lips and chin, with class-V student Ayush Pandit losing a part of a front tooth; he had to get the rest extracted by a specialist“I dozed off after boarding the bus from Beadon Street. The next I remember was being jolted by a blow to my nose, which struck the handle bar of the seat in front,” class-IV student Aditya Saraf said.Five students were rushed to the ESI Hospital in Maniktala. Later, these students and nine others were taken to Ruby Hospital near the school campus for check-up and discharged after treatment.More than the physical injuries, the accident left the students dazed and traumatized, doctors said. All the students live between Beadon Street and Bagmari Road.The first to arrive at the accident spot were locals and morning walkers. A two-wheeler rider rushed Ayush Pandit to ESI Hospital before cops arrived, after which four other students were taken to the same hospital. Some of the students were later shifted to a nursing home by their parents. Fourteen other children were later taken to Ruby Hospital for a check-up and the rest were ferried to school by another bus.“The parents were informed immediately after the accident,” school principal Anusree Ghose said. Many parents took their children home, but some of them attended school.The government bus was returning to a state garage after being deployed on Gangasagar duty when the accident occurred around 6.50am. Police confirmed this bus was racing against another state bus and was trying to overtake a car when it strayed into the other flank, leading to the collision.Phoolbagan police arrested the state bus driver. “We have started a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver, who fled the spot after the accident,” an officer said. Both buses involved in the accident have been impounded.West Bengal Transport Corporation officials said the driver, hired on contract, had been dismissed.

If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

NYOOOZ FRIEND

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.


Stay updated with all the Kolkata Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.

Related Articles