KARWAR: In a tragic incident, an overspeeding ambulance from Honnavar lost control and rammed a toll booth, killing the patient it was carrying and three others at Shiroor in Udupi district. The CCTV footage of the incident has gone viral. The ambulance was on its way to Kundapur when the incident occurred. It was coming from Honnavar with a patient who had cardiac issues.
The patient, Gajanan Ganapathi Naik (45), a native of Hadageri village, about 15 km from Honnavar town, had been admitted to a private hospital. The doctors at the hospital suggested that he should be taken to another hospital in Dakshina Kannada for further treatment should reach the hospital within a specific time. The job to take him to Udupi hospital was entrusted to the ambulance driver Roshan.
In a rush to reach the hospital early and save the life of the patient, the driver was overspeeding and lost control which resulted in the tragedy. The CCTV footage shows the driver losing control leading to the vehicle turning turtle and rolling over a toll booth cabin.
The impact of the accident was such that the ambulance door opened, throwing out the patient and his two attendants, including the patient’s wife. Sensing danger, a toll booth staffer managed to escape. However, another person who was trying to remove the barricade so that the vehicle could pass was knocked down by the ambulance.
The seriously injured patient Gajanan Ganapathi Naik, his attendants Jyothi Lokesh Naik, Manjunath Naik and his relative Lakshman Naik, Roshan and the toll booth staffer were rushed to a hospital. The attendants and the patient were declared dead.
The driver and the toll booth staffer are seriously injured and are battling for their lives. This is the second such incident at this toll booth. A year ago, a person from Goa driving under the influence of alcohol had rammed his vehicle into the toll booth, killing the security guard.
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