Bus crew’s quick response saves injured child

Mangaluru: A city bus driver and conductor won praise for their quick thinking and rushing an injured child along with his mother to a hospital following a road accident near Marakada Junction on Friday.

The incident reportedly occurred when a woman and her child fell while standing on the footboard of another bus. With no ambulance, autorickshaw or taxi immediately available, the crew of the ‘Master’ bus operating on Route No. 13B stepped in to help.

Sandeep K, conductor of the bus, said they immediately rushed to check on the victims after noticing the accident. “The child was unconscious and had suffered head injuries. We looked for an autorickshaw, but none were available. There were around 15 passengers on our bus, and after explaining the situation, we asked them to get down and headed straight to the hospital,” he said.

According to Sandeep, the woman appears to have lost her balance after she had come near the footboard. She was likely going to deboard at the bus stop, and she lost her balance and fell, he said. The child sustained injuries in the fall and was bleeding.

Driver Dayanand, along with Sandeep and a staff member of the bus in which the woman was travelling, transported the injured pair to a hospital in Kuntikana, reaching there within about 10 minutes.

Moaseen Nawab Sab, owner of the Master bus, said he was proud of his staff for putting public service above all else. “The mother and child had fallen from another bus, and there was no transport available to take them to hospital. Our staff acted promptly,” he said.

A purported video of the incident is also doing rounds on social media, with many hailing the driver and conductor.

Azeez Parthipady, president, Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators’ Association, commended the crew’s actions. He said bus operators are always encouraged to assist the public in emergencies and recalled several similar instances in the past, including a case in 1985 when a snakebite victim from Natekal was rushed to the hospital in a bus.