26 passengers injured after KSRTC bus rams into metro pillar

While passengers blame reckless driving, crew members said navigating a pothole led to the accident

Twenty six passengers suffered injuries after a Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus rammed into a metro pillar on Mysuru Road. Among the injured, five passengers sustained severe injuries. The incident happened at around 1.30 a.m on Monday near Bangalore University gate. The bus (KA 09 F 5230) was coming from Mysuru. 

While the passengers in the bus blamed reckless driving for the accident, one of the bus crew members said that the accident happened while negotiating a pothole. The stretch of Mysuru Road where the accident happened had a lot of potholes, which were filled up by the civic body later in the day.

The bus first hit the median of the metro corridor and later rammed into the metro pillar. Around 45 passengers were on-board when the incident happened. They were all thrown out from their seats when the speedy vehicle rammed into the pillar.

Public and police personnel rushed the injured to various hospitals. Five severely injured passengers are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kengeri for fractured leg, broken collar bone and others. Six people including two crew members received minor injuries and six others were treated at outpatient wards.

Lingaraju, husband of Shashikala who sustained leg injuries, told The Hindu that after Ramanagara, the driver was recklessly driving and lost control over the vehicle. “Due to rash driving, the driver could not control the vehicle and rammed into the pillar. All the passengers were thrown out from their seats. My wife broke her leg while trying to save a kid from hitting the pole after being thrown out of the seat. She has sustained severe injuries and was admitted in a private hospital with the help of local people and police,” Lingaraju said. The couple, native of Chamarajanagar, were returning to Bengaluru after spending the weekend. “We are working in a garment factory. I do not know how many months it would take her to recover from injuries.” 

A senior traffic police officer said, “Passengers have blamed over-speeding as the reason for the incident. When the driver lost control over the vehicle, it first hit the median and then rammed into the pillar. Front portion of the bus was completely damaged. Further investigation is on.”

KSRTC, in a statement, said that the driver has been working in the Corporation for 13 years and does not have a history of being involved in road accidents. The Corporation also said it will bear the treatment expenses of the injured.