Trying to avoid collision with car, roadways bus rams tree; 10 injured

Gurgaon: Around 10 people received injuries, most of them minor, after a Haryana Roadways bus rammed into a tree near Sonipat’s Katwal village on Thursday.
The roadways bus was headed from Gohana towards Kharkhoda with around 50 passengers.
According to the passengers, a car on the road suddenly stopped, forcing an autorickshaw just behind it to hit the brakes too. The driver of the bus, which was behind them, lost control of the vehicle while trying to prevent a collision and rammed the tree instead.
Four people, including the driver and the conductor, were rushed to a government hospital, which discharged them after first aid. Six others suffered minor injuries like bruises which didn’t require medical attention, officials said.
Passengers said the driver’s ‘alertness’ saved the lives of many.
“Near Katwal, a car ahead of us pressed the brakes all of a sudden. An autorickshaw which was just behind the car had to stop because of that. To prevent an accident, the bus driver turned the vehicle towards a nearby agriculture field. The bus rammed with a tree and stopped. Due to his alertness, everyone was saved,” Birmati Devi, a passenger of the bus, said.
Roadways officials said after getting information about the accident, a team rushed to the spot. Driver Hamid, conductor Neer Singh and passengers Brijesh Kumar from Jhansi and Dinesh Kumar from Mundlana received minor injuries and were released from hospital after first aid, they said.
“We are investigating whether any mistake was made by the bus driver. After the accident, we rushed another Roadways bus for the passengers who were going towards Kharkhoda. Our officials have spoken with the passengers to know more about the accident. A detailed report of the accident will be handed over to senior officials,” Sher Singh, a Roadways official from the Sonipat depot, said. No police complaint has been filed so far.