Thiruvananthapuram: A KSRTC bus swerved out of its way hitting three vehicles in front of Government GHSS, Cotton Hill, on Monday, but major casualty was averted as it was five minutes before the school ended. Onlookers say that it was a case of failure of brakes. Vijayan C, who serves as a security guard, said, “I saw the driver standing up and forcefully applying brakes, as the vehicle was not stopping otherwise.” The driver, according to police officials at Traffic (North) station, has also said that it was a brake failure.
They said they will book a case as per the statements of the injured, which are yet to be recorded. However top officials at KSRTC ruled out brake failure. “The bus driver could have used its hand brake, if service brake was not working. Moreover, after the accident the bus, which is originally from Kattakkada depot, was driven to Thiruvanant-hapuram central depot. The vehicle is just 5 or 6 years’ old. Whether it was negligence from the part of the driver needs to be investigated into. So far, we could find no problem with the vehicle. The Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector will investigate into this, as is the standard procedure,” said an official.
The accident could have turned bloodier. Right after the incident, students came out of Government GHSS Cotton Hill in hundreds. As the bus was about to hit an autorickshaw, after hitting a Maruti omni van and a car, Vijayan plunged in and pulled out a child sitting inside the auto. The autorickshaw driver Balachandran Nair sustained a head injury and was rushed to General Hospital. The injury required seven stitches, according to BJP councillor R Sanil Kumar who is the registered owner of the autorickshaw. There was an ayah with the child who had minor injuries. The speed of the bus was fairly high, according to M Sreekumar, who was sitting next to the driver in the Maruti Omni. Its windshield got smashed. He and the driver sustained minor injuries.
