A speeding private bus travelling from Jodhpur ended up crashing through a roadside wall and tumbling into the causeway of the Bandi river near the new bus stand in Pali, after its driver tried to overtake another vehicle moving ahead on the road. Around a dozen passengers on board suffered injuries in the crash and were rushed to the government Bangar Hospital in the city with the help of local residents and the police. No deaths were reported in the accident, sparing the city what could easily have turned into a far deadlier tragedy.
An overtaking manoeuvre that went badly wrong
According to initial information from the police, the bus was carrying passengers from Jodhpur towards the Pali bus stand. This stretch of road is among the busiest in the city, with several private and government buses passing through it every day, which makes overtaking a common but risky habit for drivers here. As the bus neared the new bus stand, its driver attempted to overtake another vehicle moving ahead of it in a hurry. The combination of excessive speed and that risky decision proved too much to handle, the driver lost control of the vehicle entirely, and the bus smashed through the safety wall along the roadside before plunging down into the causeway of the Bandi river. A causeway, essentially a low, flat crossing built over the riverbed that vehicles normally use without any trouble, offered little cushioning once the bus broke through the wall and dropped straight onto it, leaving the vehicle badly damaged.
Panic breaks out as locals rush to help
As the bus dropped into the causeway, panic and screaming broke out among the passengers trapped inside. Shopkeepers and passersby in the area heard the loud commotion and ran to the spot without wasting a moment, immediately launching rescue efforts. They pried open windows and broke through doors to pull out passengers who were stuck inside the wrecked bus, working one by one to free everyone trapped. Several of those on board were left badly shaken by the sudden jolt, and there was chaos inside the bus for a few minutes, but the quick response and presence of mind shown by nearby residents ensured that all the trapped passengers were freed safely in time.
Treatment underway at Bangar Hospital
Police from the Kotwali police station reached the spot soon after being alerted, assessed the situation, and used ambulances to move all the injured to the government Bangar Hospital in Pali. Doctors in the hospital's emergency ward have since been treating the injured. Medical staff said most of the roughly dozen injured passengers suffered injuries to their hands, legs and head, though all of them are reported to be out of danger. As word of the accident spread, family members of the injured also began arriving at the hospital in large numbers, gathering outside the ward.
Bus pulled out by crane, case filed against driver
After inspecting the accident site, the Kotwal and his team arranged for the damaged bus to be pulled out of the river causeway with the help of a crane, so that traffic along the route could be restored as quickly as possible. The police have registered a case against the bus driver and have begun examining every aspect of his alleged negligence. Preliminary investigation points squarely to overspeeding and an unsafe overtaking attempt as the reasons behind the crash. Police are also checking whether the bus suffered any technical fault, or whether the accident was entirely down to the driver's carelessness. In the aftermath of the incident, calls have grown once again for tighter checks on speeding vehicles along the city's main roads and around the bus stand, in the hope of preventing similar accidents in the future.
