8 Injured as Private Bus Rams Lorry Near Nandigama
Overtaking attempt leads to early-morning collision on the Vijayawada–Hyderabad National Highway.
Vijayawada: Eight passengers were injured, three of them grievously, as a long-distance private bus, K Kaveri, had a collision with a lorry at Anasagaram of Nandigama on Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway in NTR district in the early hours on Tuesday.
According to Nandigama police, the bus carrying 38 passengers was going from Hyderabad to Srikakulam. It started at about 8pm. By the time it reached near Anasagaram flyover, the "bus driver attempted to overtake the sugar laden lorry, but lost control."
Under its impact, the left side of the bus suffered major damage. One of the iron hooks of the lorry rammed the bus, causing injuries to eight passengers. The injured were shifted to the local government hospital and some to a hospital in Vijayawada. Among the three grievously injured, one was a woman. She suffered a leg fracture while the two others had hairline fractures.
The police and staff of the national highway authority removed the vehicles from the road with the help of a crane and restored the vehicular traffic. The police booked a case and arrested the bus driver.
City police commissioner Rajasekhar said in a statement that cops have started a ‘Stop, Wash, Refresh and Go’ activity from 2am to 5am on the highways every day in a bid to reduce the number of road accidents. He said 420 fatal road accidents were reported in the city limits in a span of a year last year, but only 328 fatal road accidents were reported this year.
He said the police have identified black spots and set up traffic blinkers and rumble sticks, mainly at Ibrahimpatnam and Nandigama. “We identified areas where there is no proper lighting on the roads, and urged the authorities to initiate action.”
