An 8-year-old schoolboy lost his arm as his school van tumbled into the bushes at a village near Melur in Madurai district. A total of 18 other students and the van driver were also injured in the accident.
According to reports, the van belongs to Azhagumalar Matriculation School in Sivagangai. On Monday morning, the van had picked up students from Poonjuthi village and Sunnambur village near Melur to take them to the school. As per the police, the van driver lost control of the vehicle as he had bent down to pick up a packet of curd that had fallen under his seat. In the process, the van fell into the bushes on the side of the road, injuring the students inside it.
R Veerapandi, a class 3 student, was severely injured in the accident and taken to the Madurai Rajaji Government hospital. His left arm had to be amputated and he also suffered huge blood loss. The hospital authorities told the Times of India that Veerapandi’s condition is critical and he needs to be under close observation for the next 24 hours.
The Melur police have registered a case against the driver under sections 279 [Rash driving], 337 [Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others] and 338 [Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others] of the IPC and are investigating the case. The accused driver is yet to be arrested.
In July 2019, a private van carrying school children in Dindigul toppled over while trying to avoid a two-wheeler on the road. Over 20 children were injured in the accident and around five of them suffered fractures. The accident took place when the driver allegedly swerved the vehicle to avoid crashing into a two-wheeler on the road. The public had also alleged that the van was carrying over its capacity of 14 students.