Flyover accident: Tree broke bus’s fall, saved lives, say locals
GHAZIABAD: A pipal tree growing through the retaining wall of the Bhatia Morh flyover sustained severe damage after a speeding bus fell off the flyover on Wednesday night. However, the tree may have saved several lives by breaking the bus’s fall.
The private chartered bus was ferrying six employees of a Noida company to Ghaziabad. One person was killed and four passengers injured when the driver of the bus hit a twowheeler and lost control of the vehicle. The bus then careened off the flyover, the police said.
“One person died, while four were injured. One of the injured is still on ventilator support. We have lodged an FIR on the basis of a complaint filed by the deceased person’s brother. The driver of the bus also sustained severe injuries and is under treatment,” said Nipun Agarwal, superintendent of police (city).
“It seems that the driver lost control of the bus after hitting a two-wheeler. The bus broke through the central verge as well as the crash barriers on the other side of the flyover before falling off the structure. It hit the tree first, which broke its fall to the ground,” he said.
The bus fell from a height of about 15-20 feet, witnesses said.
Residents of the Daulatpura locality nearby said that had the tree not broken the bus’s fall, there may have been more casualties. “It was around 9.10pm on Wednesday. I was at my shop when I heard a thunder-like sound that lasted for a couple of minutes. Then I saw a bus crash into the pipal tree and fall to the ground. Had the tree not been there, the bus would have hit our shops and nearby houses. This tree was damaged, but it saved a lot of lives,” said Dheeraj Soni, the owner of a jewellery shop near the incident site.
He said the tree is estimated to be about 15-20 years old, and has been growing through the retaining wall of the flyover.
Sanjay Chaudhary, who owns a medical store, said that the area was crowded at the time of the incident. “We are thankful for the tree that prevented further damage,” he added.
“As soon as the bus fell, locals came running and broke the windowpanes of the bus to pull out passengers,” he said.
Ghaziabad district magistrate RK Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
“The inquiry will be headed by the city magistrate, and will highlight reasons behind the incident as well as suggest measures to prevent such incidents,” he said.