Passenger’s timely brake saves lives as bus driver suffers heart attack

Who was the Good Samaritan who rescued 100 passengers from death when the bus driver fell unconscious due to a heart attack just before the Kadugannawa steep hill on the boundaries of Mawanella-Pilimathalawa?

Fifty years ago, a truck full of devotees — nearly 50 returning from Kandy — went off the steep bend, and none survived to tell the tale. It was photojournalist Y G de Silva who took the photographs in the dead of night, with the copy being written by me, to tell the deadly tale to the world the following morning.

The 100 bus passengers would have suffered the same fate, if not for this good Samaritan who was on the foot board and had the presence of mind to apply the brakes and stop the bus when he found the driver, Prabath Sarathchandra (49), had slumped and collapsed on the steering wheel.

Peradeniya Teaching Hospital's Chief Security Officer, Prabath Weerakoon, who was on the bus, said a medical officer who was on the bus gave first aid before the driver was sent to the Peradeniya hospital in a threewheeler. But he passed away in the hospital.

The driver, who also owned the bus, was a heart patient, his wife, Chandralatha Sunethra, told Coroner Amal Jayawardene during the inquiry. She said he had been advised to take an angiogram, but he had been postponing it.

The coroner put off the inquiries after ordering Peradeniya Police to issue summons to the District Manager of the Central Provincial Transport Board to appear before him next week.

Dr M Neelakanthi Neelawela, who conducted the postmortem examination, ruled that death was due to cardiac failure from a heart attack.

Evidence was led by Sgt Jayalath of Peradeniya Police.