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Idukki: In a heart wrenching and shocking incident, a 3-year--old kindergarten student died after she was run over by a school bus. The incident took place at Girijyothi CMI Public School, Vazhathope in Idukki district.
The child, identified as Hazel Ben, was crushed under the bus as it was reversing in the school courtyard. She was rushed to Idukki Medical College Hospital but was declared brought dead.
Another child suffered injuries to her leg and has been admitted to the medical college for treatment. According to Idukki police, the driver is in custody, and further proceedings are underway.
The incident has come as huge shock for the school and the neighbourhood in Idukki.
“We are all shocked by the incident. Many in the school cant believe that this occurred in the school campus”, said a faculty at the Giri Jyothy school in Idukki to the media.
The incident comes amid rising concerns over the increasing number of school bus–related accidents in the state. Recently, a five-year-old boy, Emin Aisin, was killed after being hit by his school bus near his home at Olukkur, Kondotty. After dropping him off, the bus reversed and ran over him. In another case, a Class 2 student, Krishnendu of Government LPS, died at Madavoor, Thiruvananthapuram, after being run over by her school bus in front of her house.
“Even though there are strict rules in place, in most cases sheer carelessness from the side of the driver leads to accidents where youngsters lose their lives. There are clear instructions given to each school on the instructions that need to be given to the drivers. In most cases accident occurs due to heavy workload of the drivers following which they are been asked to enter duty”, said Ravi Kumar, a IMD official from Trivandrum.
STA has mandated blind spot mirrors on all buses
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Transport Authority (STA) has mandated the installation of blind spot mirrors on all heavy transport vehicles and educational institution buses as part of vehicle fitness requirements from November 1. All Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) have also been directed to train drivers of stage carriers, heavy goods vehicles, heavy passenger vehicles, educational institution buses, and contract carriages on the proper use of these mirrors.
