KSRTC Bus and Car Collision, 3 Dead on Spot
Updated: 10 pm
Although it was announced earlier that five persons were killed in the accident, but now the police have confirmed that only three persons have died, while three others are still admitted in a private hospital in critical conditions. The three deaths were on the spot of the accident- the deceased names are Omni driver, Tejas (21) son of Lakshman Poojary, Varsha (20), daughter of Narayan Poojary, and Sandhya (20), daughter of Shivakumar Gowda, both occupants in the Omni.
Shobha, Sunil and Yakshith are admitted to the hospital in critical condition, while the other five injured are Namitha, Pavithra, Sharanya, Nayana and Navyasri. It is now learnt that Sunday being a holiday, all the 11 employees working at Sanjeeva Shetty garment store in Puttur had traveled in the ill-fated van to offer pooja “Agelu Seve” at the Panolibail Temple near to Mani. While they were on their way to the temple, the driver of the van overtook an auto-rickshaw – while doing so the van hit a KSRTC bus plying from Mangaluru to Puttur-the accident took place at a curve near Kodage on the Mani-Mysuru state highway.
The van was fully crushed in the impact, and one of the van door was thrown on the other side of the road. Varsha and Sandhya who were sitting close to this door were thrown on to the road and they died on the spot.
Update 7:30 pm:
Latest report reveal that total five persons have died in the accident-while three died on the spot, two others who were seriously injured breathed their last in the hospital. Police so far have released names of three persons deceased among the five-they are Thejas, who was the driver of the Omni van, Sandhya and Nayana, both passengers in the van. More details will be updated soon.
Mangaluru: Traffic on the Madikeri-Puttur road, going towards Mangaluru, was held for an hour after an accident took place at Kodage near Mani in Bantwal Taluk, between a KSRTC bus bearing licence plate No KA 19 F 3234 plying from Mangaluru to Puttur and a Maruti Omni van bearing registration KA 02-MA 8958 going towards Mangaluru from Puttur. The accident had taken place between 3-4 pm on 12 June.
Speaking to Mangalorean.com, a bike rider who was behind the Marutu Van when the accident took place, said that the Maruti van trying to overtake an auto-rickshaw hit the oncoming KSRTC bus. The impact between the two vehicles resulted in complete damage of the Omni, killing three persons on the spot. There were about ten persons traveling in the van, who were on their way to temple in Panilibailu after finishing their work at Sanjeeva Shetty Garment shop in Puttur. All the occupants in the van were employees at the garment shop.
Another eye-witness near the accident scene speaking to Mangalorean.com said that it took over an hour for the cops to reach the spot after many emergency calls were made to the police station by the public. Dead persons and the seven injured persons have been shifted to nearby hospitals by 108 ambulances. The van is in total loss. Personal belongings of the van occupants were scattered all over, and there was pool of blood along the sides of the van. Traffic was blocked for an hour till police arrived and controlled the movement of traffic.
More details of the accident will be updated later.
Omni is effectively a hearse carrying passengers who are alive but can turn into corpses any minute.
When you buy a car, the first thing to look for is how safe/sturdy it is to withstand an impact from an average accident.
Second is how stable it is on the road during all weather conditions.
Omni is the worst performer in India on both these counts though it might be the cheapest option for the consumer. Most of our locally manufactured cars do not even pass the basic safety certification used in the West. Money or mileage should be the last consideration while buying a car if one cares for their life or their loved ones’. Maruthi, Hyundai are best avoided in India especially as the road conditions and traffic discipline are one among the worst in the world.
Mr. Henry, I honestly pity the people who drive a Maruti Omni.
If I may may butt in, that ‘Pepsi can’ with a so-called 800 cc ‘engine’ is is fit ONLY to ‘drive’ corpses to the local Cemetery/smashanas. Well, the engine has zilch to do with it. The basic design… the Crumple zones, side-impact protection, proper headrests, strong occupant compartments, airbags – frontal & rear are totally missing.
Well, well.. well.. who is to tell Nithin Gad..Kaaari about this? Apparently, his Vespa/Lamby/Bajaj sans a helmet is foolproof. 😉