School bus hits cyclist, crashes into wall, students and lady attendant escape unhurt
Telegraph | 15 November 2024
Two students of Classes III and IV and a woman attendant had a close shave after the school bus they were travelling in hit a cyclist and then rammed into the wall of a park in Survey Park around 2.05pm on Thursday.
The children and the attendant escaped unhurt but the 28-year-old cyclist suffered multiple injuries.
Rana Routh, a resident of Sahid Smiriti Colony in Panchasayar, off EM Bypass, was thrown off his cycle, police said.
Like many other schools, Future Foundation has outsourced the school’s bus service to an agency. At the time of the accident, the bus was dropping students home.
“The cyclist has been admitted to a private hospital off the Bypass with serious head and leg injuries,” said an officer of Survey Park police station.
The bus driver, Ram Pravesh Mishra, told officers that the cyclist suddenly came in his way and he had to take a sharp turn to prevent running him over.
The driver tried slamming the brakes but the bus, after hitting the cyclist, crashed into the park’s boundary wall, the police said.
“A case of rash and negligent driving has been drawn up against the driver. The vehicle has been seized and will be subject to a mechanical test on Friday,” the officer said.
The woman attendant dropped the kids to their homes in an autorickshaw.
“It’s an unfortunate incident. We will speak to the parents to find out whether the two students are still traumatised,” Ranjan Mitter, the principal of Future Foundation, told Metro.
“We will talk to the service provider about the accident and try to find out whether there were any technical glitches.”
Figures from the transport department suggest around 700 school buses and close to 1,500 pool cars operate in and around Calcutta.