Alert conductor averts danger as driver falls unconscious
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CANACONA, JUNE 11
Around 25 passengers had a lucky escape on Friday morning, after a minibus in which they were traveling steered down the highway, as the driver lay unconscious on the steering wheel.
Sources at the site informed that the mini-bus (GA-09-U-1566), traveling from Canacona to Margao, was about 150 metres from the Gulem bus stop when the driver reportedly fell unconscious at the steering wheel.
The bus was still in motion and almost crossed the Gulem bus stop, when some passengers noticed the driver slumped on the steering wheel and alerted the conductor.
The conductor, who was at the back issuing tickets to passengers, rushed inside the cabin and pulled the hand brakes in an attempt to halt the bus.
The bus, however, continued to move ahead, threatening the lives of the panic-stricken passengers.
The conductor, who reportedly noticed an oncoming vehicle, acted swiftly and turned the steering to the right. The bus went down a paddy field and finally came to a stop about 60 metres away from the road. All passengers escaped unhurt.
“While the bus was leaving the road, it missed a large roadside tree by a whisker,” said a local who rushed to the aid of the passengers.
“If not for the presence of mind of conductor (who is reportedly the owner of the minibus), the bus would either have rammed into other vehicles or would have plummeted at a more dangerous depth at some other place, causing injuries to passengers,” informed another local at the site.
Eyewitnesses informed that the visibly shaken passengers alighted and continued their journey towards Margao in other vehicles from the nearby bus stop.
The driver, who reportedly suffered a fit while driving the vehicle, later regained consciousness and was shifted from the area in another vehicle. The conductor managed to drive the bus over the paddy field barriers and finally got the bus back on the main road.
When contacted, officials at the Community Health Centre, Chaudi, could not ascertain if the sick driver was brought for medical attention at the hospital. Incidentally, even the police was not aware of the incident as no complaint was filed in the matter.
