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Lost control over ambulance trying to avoid hitting calf: Driver
Roshan Rodrigues, who survived the accident with minor injuries, said he applied brakes to avoid hitting the calf and a toll plaza employee who was trying to remove it from the lane.
A day after an accident involving an ambulance that left four people died in Udupi district, its driver on Thursday said he lost control over the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a calf that was sitting on an emergency lane in the toll booth.
Roshan Rodrigues, who survived the accident with minor injuries, said he applied brakes to avoid hitting the calf and a toll plaza employee who was trying to remove it from the lane.
Four people were killed and four others injured on Wednesday after the speeding ambulance crashed into a toll plaza in coastal Karnataka’s Udupi. The four dead include the patient who was being transported and three paramedics who were taking care of him, police said.
CCTV footage of the accident shows the ambulance swerving and crashing into the toll gate. The vehicle overturned, throwing the patient and attenders out of the vehicle after hitting a pillar at the toll gate.
Rodrigues said: “We were transporting a patient to Udupi’s Adarash hospital. Generally, when an ambulance comes, both gates of the toll booth are opened. In this case, they had opened the first gate, but as I approached it, I saw the calf and saw a toll plaza employee trying to remove it. When I applied breaks, I lost control of the vehicle and the accident took place,” he said.
In the CCTV footage, the ambulance could be seen approaching the Byndoor-Shiroor toll gate. The road was wet as it was raining in the area. As the ambulance was approaching, the toll employees of the booth were seen removing the orange traffic barricades to let the ambulance pass through the booth without delay. They also lifted the automatic barrier gate.
However, just as a toll booth employee rushed to remove one barricade left on the ambulance’s path, the vehicle suddenly skidded, overturned and then rammed into the booth. The visuals show that the ambulance flipped and the doors of the ambulance opened due to the impact.
Two nurses and another man are flung out of the ambulance as it crashes into the booth.
An investigating officer told HT that in the second CCTV footage the version narrated by the driver could be seen. A toll booth staffer could be seen trying to remove a calf that was lying in one of the toll lanes, the officer said.
“Just seconds before the ambulance crashes, the calf moves from the place, and it escapes the crash by a few inches. We can’t conclusively say if the driver was trying to avoid the calf. We have taken his statement and based on legal consultation, we will take further action. As of now, there is a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver,” said the police officer.
