A 7-year-old student was killed and eight others were injured when the school bus in which they were travelling crashed into the trunk of a palm tree. The impact of the crash was so severe that the trunck pierced through the floor of the bus, rammed into the student and crashed through the rear glass window.
The student identified as Lahari, was studying Class 2 in Vignan Vihara English Medium School at Nutakki, near Mangalagiri. She hailed from Srungarapuram and goes by a school bus to the school located 9.6 km from her village.
The accident took place on Nuttaki-Kothapalem road at 9 a.m. Police arrested the bus driver Parameswara Rao and booked him under section 304 (A) for causing death due to rash and negligent action. The bus ferries students from neighbouring villages to the school, the only co educational English Medium school in the region.
Guntur Urban Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operation. ``The accident was due to the negligence of the driver. It appears that the driver over speeding. He crashed into the log of the palm tree but did not slow down. The impact of the crash was so severe that one end of logs pierced through the floor and hit the student,’’ Mr. Rajesh Kumar told The Hindu on Friday.
Minutes after the accident, parents of the student rushed to the scene of the accident and took their children. A team of officers from Road Transport Authority (RTA), Guntur, visited the spot and examined the fitness of the bus.
District Educational Officer Sreenivasa Reddy collected the details about the school. Further investigations are being done by the police.
