Mumbai: It was a shocking experience for 49 children from the primary section Children’s Academy, Kandivli, who escaped disaster by a whisker on Friday afternoon, as they were going to school. The driver was speeding and the vehicle climbed the divider on M G road and came to a screeching halt, throwing the bus cleaner out of the bus, while the attendant scrambled to protect the children.
However, two students sustained injuries, one on the head, while another was hit in the leg. Residents from neighbouring buildings who witnessed this accident called the parents whose children usually took this school bus.
The parents claimed this was the first time an accident has occurred in 10 years and it has not shaken their trust in the school. Kandivli police have booked and arrested the bus driver for rash driving and causing hurt by endangering life of others.
The bus, driven by Ramchandra Satam (63), was on its way to school in Kandivli (E) around 2.15 pm. Police said Satam was allegedly speeding and this caused him to lose control resulting in the mishap. The accident was so severe that the bus cleaner, who was reportedly standing by the door, was thrown out. Satam suffered minor bruises.
The Class 4, student who suffered head injuries, had to receive stitches as he suffered cuts from shards of glass. The other student was administered first aid and was discharged from hospital. Parents of the fourth grader who received head injury, claimed the school was not at fault. He also said the locals rushed to the rescue of the students by breaking open the emergency glass and rushed them to hospital.
The father of the fourth grader said, “It is the first time that such an accident has occurred and it is not the school’s fault. Initially, we panicked on hearing that the school bus had met with an accident. But then chalta hai.. We trust the school and have no complaints.”
Police have arrested Satam and seized the bus, which was later towed away. “One kid sustained a minor leg injury, another sustained a head injury. The latter underwent an MRI scan and was discharged after the reports were normal. We are checking CCTV footage in the area to ascertain the speed of the bus,” said police inspector Abhinay Pawar.
When asked if Satam was using a mobile phone while driving, as suspected by school authorities, Pawar said the claims are being verified and an investigation is under way. Meanwhile, Satam has been booked for rash driving (section 279) and endangering life and safety of others (section 337) of the Indian Penal Code and will be produced before a magistrate court on Saturday.
