BENGALURU: Four passengers sustained serious injuries and 25 others, including the driver and conductor, received minor injuries after the KSRTC bus in which they were travelling rammed into a Metro rail pillar on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Road near Kengeri in the wee hours of Monday.
The Bengaluru-bound bus, which was coming from Madikeri, rammed into pillar number 545 of the Namma Metro. The driver, Venkataram, is said to have lost control while trying to avoid a pothole. Another driver Manjunath had driven the bus from Madikeri for a few kilometers before handing it over to Venkataram.
The traffic police, which said the driver could have easily run the bus on the pothole, had to use a crane to retrieve the bus from the accident spot. Police suspect the driver lost control of the bus while overspeeding near Poornima Palace and crashed into the pillar. "Of the 45 passengers travelling in the bus, four have sustained serious injuries, while 25 received minor injuries," Dr Sanjeev Patil, DCP (West) told the media.
Kengeri traffic police have registered a case of negligent and rash driving against the bus driver.
KSRTC officials visit hospital
According to a press release issued by the KSRTC, the incident happened between 1.30 am and 2 am on Monday. It said the bus driver lost control and hit the right side median before ramming into the pillar. The chassis of the bus was damaged in the accident.
The passengers who sustained serious injuries are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kengeri. The other injured have been admitted to another private hospital on Mysuru Road and also in Victoria Hospital. Senior KSRTC officers visited the injured in the hospitals.
The medical expenses of all the injured will be borne by the corporation, the press release stated.
BMRCL statement
The BMRCL said in a release that the bus crashed into the median, handrails and crash-barrier of Pier No 545 between Jnanabharathi and Pattanagere Metro station. The accident site was inspected by senior BMRCL officers who said there were only superficial scratches on Pier No 545.
There were no structural damages as crash barriers have been provided on the piers, the BMRCL said. Metro operations are safe as the impact due to the accident has not affected any of the assets of Metro, except for damage to median and steel railings, the press release added.
Area is being examined: BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the area is being examined and the CCTV footages are also being checked. "Prima facie it appears that there is no fault on the part of the BBMP and the accident appears to be a result of rash driving," he said.