Ghaziabad: School van hits tree, plunges onto service lane

A private van carrying four schoolchildren crashed into a roadside tree and then plunged nearly five feet onto a service lane in Ghaziabad’s Vijay Nagar on Thursday morning after the driver lost control of the vehicle, police said

A private van carrying four schoolchildren crashed into a roadside tree and then plunged nearly five feet onto a service lane in Ghaziabad’s Vijay Nagar on Thursday morning after the driver lost control of the vehicle, police said. The four children and the driver escaped without injuries, officials said.

The incident took place around 7.30am near Sain Chowk in Vijay Nagar and was captured by a CCTV camera installed nearby, police said. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The incident took place around 7.30am near Sain Chowk in Vijay Nagar and was captured by a CCTV camera installed nearby, police said.

Footage of the crash, which was later widely shared on social media, showed the van suddenly veering to the left, hitting a roadside tree and uprooting it before going over the edge and falling onto the service lane below. The vehicle landed upright.

A man taking a morning walk on the service lane was also seen reacting to the approaching vehicle and moving out of its path moments before the van fell. Several locals then rushed to the spot and helped the occupants out of the vehicle.

“The van suddenly veered to the left at a high speed and crashed head-on into a roadside tree, uprooting it in the process. The impact slowed the vehicle considerably. However, it was still in motion and fell almost five feet into the service lane below,” Dharam Pal, SHO, Vijay Nagar police station said.

“The driver told police that he somehow lost control of the vehicle. The van had been hired privately by the parents of the four children to ferry them to school and was not attached to the school,” Pal said.

Officials said residents alerted police after the crash. After their families were informed and it was confirmed that none of them had suffered injuries, the four children were sent to school safely.

Police said no complaint had been received in connection with the incident till Thursday and no case had been registered so far.