CHENNAI: A sexagenarian woman was crushed to death and three others injured when an MTC bus, in trying to avoid a two-wheeler, swerved left and climbed onto the pavement of a bus shelter near Adyar Police station on Lattice Bridge (LB) Road, Adyar, on Thursday evening.
The identity of the dead woman is yet unknown although she is suspected to be a platform dweller. The injured, however, were identified as Dinesh Kumar (25), Hakkim (37) and Indhu(20), all from Saidapet.
According to eyewitnesses, the 47A-route bus plying to ICF from Thiruvanmiyur, was passing through LB Road around 6 pm, when the driver ploughed the bus onto the pavement where pedestrians were walking.
“The driver swerved the bus to the left to avoid a two-wheeler rider who came suddenly in the bus’s way. The bus hitting the pavement, climbed onto it and ran over the woman sitting on the platform, killing her,” said a police official.
The woman’s body was moved to Government Royapettah hospital by the Adyar Traffic Investigation Wing.
The injured were also taken to the same hospital where they were being treated as in-patients.
The bus driver Velmurugan (37) was booked under sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 304 A (causing death due to negligence).
“It appears that the driver was not at fault and he swerved to the left only with good intentions of saving the motorcyclist. However, we have arrested him since there was a death and injuries,” a policeman said.
“We will also be verifying whether there is any mechanical fault in the vehicle which could have compounded the human error leading to the accident,” police added.
Sources said that the driver might have to undergo a refresher programme at Road Transport Institute at Taramani before he was allowed to operate the vehicles again.