CHENNAI:A class VIII girl studying in a private matriculation school had a miraculous escape on Tuesday when the emergency door in the school van accidentally opened and the girl fell in the middle of the road in Tiruvallur district. Fortunately, the van was moving at a slower speed when the accident took place and there were no trailing vehicles.
Police said the girl, G Jeevitha (13) escaped with minor injuries and was discharged after treatment in a private hospital in Chennai.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening when the van belonging to the Victoria Matriculation School, located at Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district, was headed towards Arani village with about 30 children. “Apparently, the van was taking a turn when the children leaned on the emergency exit door and it got unlocked. The girl fell on the road. But she suffered only minor bruises,” said a police officer in the Periyapalayam police station, under whose jurisdiction the accident took place.
The importance of the children safety in school buses descended on the State authorities and public when S Sruthi, a class II student of a private school in Selaiyur fell through a hole in the floor of her school bus and got crushed under the wheels in July, 2012.
Special rules were also subsequently framed by the State government for school vehicles.
However, the education department officials said they have conducted inquiries and found there is no negligence on part of the school in Tuesday’s mishap. “The girl was seated very close to the emergency door and it appears that the children had playfully touched lever of the door and it suddenly got unlocked. I visited the child in the hospital and she is fine. The school van was also in good condition and it was issued fitness certificate only on June 25,” said S M Manoharan, Inspector of Matriculation Schools, Tiruvallur.
He said against the approved capacity of 37, only 30 children were travelling in the van on Tuesday evening.
The Periyapalayam police said they have not received any complaint so far from the parents.