Woman injured as UP bus rams snag-hit car

NOIDA: The wife of a senior railways official was seriously injured after a Swift Dzire that they had parked along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway after it developed a snag was hit by a UP Roadways bus on Wednesday afternoon.

Vijay Mittal, a project manager at Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India, under the railway ministry, was driving his silver-grey Swift Dzire (HR26BY3106) towards Greater Noida when he realised the car had developed a snag.

Mittal (56) stopped his Swift along the divider of the carriageway near Sector 148 metro station when the speeding Lohia Gramin bus crashed into the left side of the Swift car at around 2.30pm.

Mittal’s wife Swatantrata Mittal (53), who was seated next to him, hit the dashboard of the car and suffered serious injuries to the head and face. Doctors said there was a possibility of internal injuries.

Passersby pitched in to help the couple after the accident. One of them, Warayam Singh, offered his Innova car to take the woman to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida. She was admitted to the ICU.

Later in the evening, Swatantrata was shifted to Neo Hospital in located Sector 50. She is under the observation of doctors.

Vijay told TOI he had seen the bus in the mirror of the car, but did not get the time to escape. The bus driver screeched to a halt a few metres ahead, but fled the vehicle. Vijay said Swantantrata suffered grievous injuries as she was sitting on the left side of the car but was not wearing a seat belt. “We have lodged a complaint at Knowledge Park police station. They have seized the bus,” he said.

Police have verified the details of the bus (UP78FN4762) and found that it is registered with the Kanpur regional transport office.

Arvind Pathak, the SHO of Knowledge Park police station, said the bus had been seized. He said the police would lodge an FIR for rash driving based on the complaint by Vijay.