E-Paper
Sleeper bus driver dozes off at wheel, major tragedy averted in Pratapgarh
A tourist bus in Pratapgarh narrowly avoided disaster after the driver fell asleep, injuring one passenger seriously and causing minor injuries to others.
A major accident was narrowly avoided on Wednesday when the driver of a tourist sleeper bus fell asleep at the wheel. The bus, travelling from Jaipur to Varanasi, lost control and the vehicle skidded off the highway in Pratapgarh district.
The Mahalakshmi Travels Volvo sleeper bus was carrying around 25 passengers. At approximately 12 noon, near Tiwari Pur village under the Manikpur police station jurisdiction on the Prayagraj–Lucknow Highway, the bus veered off the highway into the unpaved roadside area and came to a slanted halt. Fortunately, it did not overturn, preventing a potentially more serious tragedy.
However, a 45-year-old woman passenger, Chinta Devi, wife of Nandlal Chauhan from Malda village in Ballia district, sustained serious head injuries after hitting her head against a seat during the sudden jolt. Several other passengers suffered minor injuries but were reported to be stable.
The situation was further complicated when a car and a motorcycle travelling behind the bus collided with it. The crash injured motorcycle riders Pramod Yadav, son of Ram Bahadur from Intaura Kunda, and another person named Sanjay. Local residents rushed to the scene to help passengers and the injured.
Police transported the injured to the Community Health Centre, Kunda. Due to the severity of her injuries, Chinta Devi was later referred to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj for specialised treatment.
Inspector Narendra Singh, SHO, Manikpur police station, confirmed that all passengers are safe and that the injured have received medical attention. The remaining passengers were sent to their destinations in alternative vehicles.
