THIRUVANTHAPURAM: VD Gireesh and VR Baiju, the KSRTC driver-cum-conductors who lost their lives in the KSRTC bus accident in Coimbatore, were hailed as role models for helping a woman passenger when she developed epilepsy during a trip to Bengaluru in 2018.
Their colleagues and the social media cell of KSRTC recollected the incident on the tragic day when 21 lives were lost after a container lorry, whose tyres had burst, hit the divider and rammed into the bus that Gireesh and Baiju were on.
The 2018 incident happened when the bus was about to reach Hosur early morning on June 3. A passenger came forward to the driver's cabin and asked for a metal key to help a epilepsy patient in distress.
Dr Kavitha Warrier, who was travelling alone, had developed sudden discomfort. But when the key proved to be ineffective, the crew decided to take her to a hospital nearby. The bus was diverted back to Janani hospital, which was on the highway. But the hospital demanded the presence of a bystander and deposit money to start treatment.
"Baiju took the initiative when others backed out. He contacted the KSRTC officers in Thrissur and Bengaluru and took their permission," said Pradeep, a colleague of Baiju.
Baiju stayed back with the sick passenger and the bus continued its journey with Gireesh driving it.
The relatives of the passenger reached the hospital a little later. They shifted the patient to another hospital and dropped Baiju at the Hosur railway station to help him reach Peenya where the bus usually halted after dropping passengers.
The then chairman and managing director of KSRTC Tomin J Thachankary appreciated the gesture and had even organised a felicitation ceremony in Bengaluru.