15 injured as KSRTC bus hits retaining wall, cars, poles

Mysuru, Sept. 27 (MTY&BS)-In a serial accident, a KSRTC bus brushed past the retaining wall on Chamundi Hill Road here yesterday, hit the oncoming cars and roadside electric poles, leaving about 15 travellers including the bus passengers and occupants of the cars injured. Those injured include children and women, who were treated at a nearby hospital.

At around 5 pm, a KSRTC bus (KA09 F 5260) was coming towards the city from Chamundi Hill, when the bus driver reportedly lost control over the steering, after passing Uttanahalli road junction near the View Point. Caught off guard over the sudden increase in the speed of the vehicle, mostly due to a snag in the brake, the driver swerved the vehicle towards right brushing past the check wall, before turning the steering towards left only to hit two oncoming cars including a private vehicle and a cab. As the bus went on to speed uncontrollably, the driver allegedly hit about five electric poles installed on the left, before the bus came to a halt.

By then, the electric cables had snapped and fell on the bus and broken poles had been dragged along, but the passengers had a providential escape, as the new age cables are equipped with a modern technology, mitigating the possibility of emitting electricity. The passersby came to the rescue of bus passengers and shifted the injured persons to hospital.

According to an eyewitness account, there was a sudden rise in the speed of the bus and every efforts made by the driver to control the speed, proved futile. As it was raining at the time of the incident, the possibilities of controlling the speed appeared grim, even though the bus driver has put in a vast experience at the wheel, as he is set to retire from service in two to three months.

Inspector of Siddarthanagar Traffic Police Station K.V. Sridhar and KSRTC Technical Officer M.G. Jayakumar visited the spot.

During Dasara…

The accident during peak hours of traffic that has grown manifold with the ongoing Dasara festival, that has brought a significant number of tourists to city, raised questions on the upkeep of KSRTC buses. This is the third incident involving a KSRTC bus, after the accidents that occurred on July 18 and Aug. 7.