Kavitha Warrier and her mother Latha Krishnan of Kunnathangadi in Thrissur began their day by watching the news on television about the horrific accident in which a lorry rammed into a KSRTC Bengaluru-Ernakulam Volvo bus at Avinashi near Coimbatore. Like everyone, they found the tragedy difficult to digest.
Kavitha could easily relate to the incident as she used to travel on the same Volvo bus when she worked as a homeo doctor at Bengaluru. But there was a bigger shock awaiting her.
She and her family were inconsolable when they learnt that the conductor VR Baiju and driver VD Girish killed in the accident were the people who rushed to help Kavitha when she suffered an epileptic seizure during a bus trip two years ago.
"The news is shocking for us. If they were not there on June 3, 2018 on that bus, I might have lost my life. They drove the bus back to a private hospital at Hosur when I fell unconscious inside the bus. Like a brother, Baiju stayed back at the hospital until my friend reached there. The duo helped me to change my impression of KSRTC bus crews. Both were good human beings. I don't know what to say," Kavitha said, sobbing.
Kavitha said the duo used their own money to pay the admission fee at the hospital.
Latha, Kavitha's mother and a retired teacher, recalled: "It was around 4.30 am in the morning that I received a call from Baiju explaining that my daughter was admitted to a hospital at Hosur near Bangalore. At that time, I was not in a condition to travel to Bengaluru. But he told me that he would care of her. I remember the care and support he showed to us, even though we were complete strangers."
The incident also helped forge a friendship between the two families. However, their effort to meet failed to materialise as fate had other things in store.
"Just two days ago I shared some family photos to Baiju's Facebook messenger. I don't know whether he opened it or not. Though we assured him that we will meet someday, that wish remained unfulfilled. Baiju is like my son," Latha said.