A private bus plying from Tiruvarur to Tirunatiyathankudi, carrying close to 40 passengers, slid off the road and fell into a brook on Sunday morning. The accident took place at Tirunatiyathankudi in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur district. Close to 25 people have been hurt in the incident and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The bus that seems to have been over-speeding lost control when it neared a lorry that was parked on the side of the road. Speaking to TNM, Tirunatiyathankudi Senior Sub Inspector Umabalan says, “Road work was going on and the lorry carrying the gravel was parked on one side. When the bus neared, the driver has tried to swerve but he lost control and drove the bus into the brook instead.”
The villagers who had gathered immediately at the site of accident helped to rescue those caught inside the bus, taking them to the hospital.
Confirming that the bus driver is at fault for causing this accident, SSI Umabalan adds, “Of the 25 passengers who were taken to the hospital, we heard 10 of them have left after receiving treatment for minor injuries. The other 15 are still in the hospital. We will soon be filing an FIR and taking the driver into custody.”
The accused has been identified as Bagath Singh of Vadapathimangalam in Tiruvarur District. The FIR will be filed under IPC sections 279 (Rash driving) and 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
Private buses are known for rash driving, causing accidents due to over speeding and road safety rules negligence, endangering the lives of those inside. In most cases, drivers tend to flounder road rules mainly to get to the destination on time and to get more customers.
A shocking video of a private bus over-speeding on the wrong side of the road in Pollachi went viral in 2017. A month before that another chilling video of two racing buses on the Coimbatore-Pollachi Highway went viral on social media.