CHENNAI: It was a narrow escape for several commuters when an MTC bus ran amok in the city on Saturday after its driver suffered a cardiac arrest and died behind the wheel. The bus rammed eight cars, and had to be brought to a halt by a bystander. The incident happened at 2 pm at a traffic signal in Velachery. Rajeshkanna (36) was driving the 576S bus towards Koyambedu from Siruseri. As it was Saturday noon, there were only about 10 passengers in the bus.
“As soon as he suffered chest pain, he fell unconscious and the bus rammed eight cars waiting at the traffic signal. Soon, a man identified as Vijay (25) boarded the bus and applied the brakes,” said the police.
Alert tempo driver averts major mishap
It was a narrow escape for passengers in eight cars when the driver of an MTC bus suffered a cardiac arrest and rammed the vehicle into traffic. Police say it was an alert tempo driver, who witnessed the entire episode, that prevented any casualties. The man, identified as 25-year-old Vijay was standing on the road when the incident occurred.
“Sensing danger, he immediately jumped into the bus and brought it to a halt,” said the investigation officer. Vijay, is a resident of Maduravoyal. The bus was moved after traffic came to a halt for move than an hour. A case has been registered and further inquiry is on. The police are planning to reward the tempo driver for saving the lives of the passengers and avoiding a major accident.