Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko, who rushed a 23-year-old road accident victim, P. Marudupandian of Aavarangadu near Tirupachethi to a hospital, enquired with the doctors on his progress and comforted the boy’s parents here on Thursday.
A week ago, when Marudupandian and his friend Muniandisami were riding a two-wheeler towards Madurai to appear for an examination, a school van hit them near Manalur. Traffic was disrupted for some time following the accident on the Madurai- Ramanathapuram National Highway. Even after 30 minutes or so, there was no sign of any ambulance rushing to the spot. Mr. Vaiko, who was proceeding from Madurai to Paramakudi to attend a house-warming function of a party functionary, immediately shifted the boy to the hospital.
He did not stop with this. Through his party functionaries, he had inquired about his condition and when initial diagnosis suggested that the boy’s condition was critical, he immediately got him shifted to a private hospital. Marudupandian had suffered heavy blood loss, and injuries on his right thigh. His condition was so precarious that any delay in admission to the hospital could have resulted in serious complications. “He is getting on well now the doctors told me, and they are hopeful of saving the youth,” Mr. Vaiko said.
Expressing concern over the rise in road accidents, Mr. Vaiko called for caution and discipline from all motorists. “There are many causes for accidents, but the drivers should be on the alert. Tamil Nadu stood first in highest number of road accidents in the country. The government should take stern action against erring drivers,” he said.
Mr. Vaiko, who travels extensively by road across the State, recalled two recent instances wherein he had rushed road accident victims to the nearest hospitals. “I have done it as per the dictates of my conscience…It is just a humane gesture and there is nothing more to it,” he said.
Marudupandian’s father Periasami, who runs a tea stall near his house, could not control his emotions and sobbed uncontrollably on seeing Mr. Vaiko.
