At least 15 children escaped with minor injuries, while some suffered multiple injuries when the van in which they were travelling toppled near Pudu Thamaraipatti near Othakadai on Monday.
The children – both boys and girls – all of them in the age group of 10 to 15 years, were picked up from their homes. They were proceeding towards a middle school. When the vehicle was approaching Pudu Thamaraipatti stretch, the driver, Asirvatham (52) lost control of the van that toppled and fell on gravel dumped on the road. Panic prevailed as children screamed for help and as the door got jammed, they had to be rescued by breaking open the side windows, a policeman added.
According to sources in the 108 emergency ambulance services, they received a call at 8.33 a.m. and as many as 15 children, including 10 boys, were rushed to the Government Rajaji Hospital for treatment. Othakadai police registered a case and detained the driver for questioning.
When parents were informed about the accident, many rushed to the hospital fearing the worst. They were seen running from one end to the other and when a parent saw her child lying unconscious on the stretcher, she started wailing. On seeing this , the para-medical staffs and duty doctors rushed and explained that the child was safe and there was nothing to worry. A few children, who were admitted in the hospital, told reporters that the driver was a bit rash in driving and at one point, he could not control, which resulted in the accident.
Another student said that the driver was talking on his mobile phone. When pointed out about the remarks made by the children, a police officer said, preliminary probe suggested that bad road led to the accident, but admitted that they had to discreetly investigate the driver.
