Accident claims four-year-old's life; parents, sister critical

Four-year-old Hamsini was killed on the spot and her parents and sister were seriously injured when their two-wheeler was knocked down by a private bus in Mahalakshmipuram on Thursday evening.

The bus was carrying students from a private BEd college in Hiriyur, Chitradurga who are on a three-day tour of Bangalore and Mysore. The accident occurred at a T-junction on Gelayara Balaga main road. around 7.45 pm.

Following brake failure, the bus driver unsuccessfully tried to shift gears and in the process hit the moped, on which Hamisini’s family was riding, before ramming into a compound wall. The four members of the family were virtually sandwiched between the bus and the compound wall. The driver abandoned the bus after the accident.

Hamsini’s father Gopal Shetty, 35, who was riding the two-wheeler, and her mother Vanitha, 32, and one-year-old sister, Pavani suffered head injuries. All of them were rushed to Pristine Hospital on Modi Hospital Road and later Vanitha was shifted to Nimhans.

Gopal Shetty and Pavani are battling for life in the ICU of the hospital. Gopal Shetty, a resident of Saraswathipura, is a tea powder dealer. A native of Udupi, he has been living in the City for the past 25 years.

Hamsini’s body was badly mutilated. Bhujanga Shetty, Gopal Shetty’s brother, broke down speaking to Deccan Herald and said that his brother was on his way to a clinic to get Pavani treated for fever.

Chetan, the house owner, told that while none in the house were injured, they were taken aback by the way the bus rammed into their compound.

Shivaprasad, a lecturer who was in the bus, told , “We were on a three day Bangalore-Mysore trip, with 45 boys, 52 girls and six lecturers. While the girls and two of us were in the first bus, the boys were in the other bus. The two buses left Hiriyur at 5.30 am on Thursday.

After a visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, we visited the VIT Museum and Iskcon. After the temple visit at about 7:30 pm, we were on our way to Wonder La, when the accident occurred. Fortunately, none of the students were injured.”

Following the accident, the tour has been cut short and they all returned to Hiriyur.
Rajajinagar traffic police have registered a case.