Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation driver steers bus for 15km with chest pain, dies of heart attack

AHMEDABAD: A 40-year-old driver of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) endured a shooting pain in his chest and continued driving the bus for another 15km only to succumb to a heart attack upon reaching the depot. The incident took place in Radhanpur on Monday.
Bharmal Ahir, the driver, chose to ignore the pain and discomfort and drove on for another 20 minutes because he did not want to leave his passengers stranded on the highway, said conductor Dinesh Desai. As soon as the bus reached Radhanpur depot, Ahir collapsed. He was taken to the Radhanpur Civil Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead.
Ahir started from Somnath at around 8.30pm on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Radhanpur at 7.05am on Monday. He and the passengers halted briefly at Varahi, about 15km from Radhanpur, for a tea break in the morning.
"When the journey resumed, Ahir complained of chest pain and uneasiness. He told me he needed to be taken to hospital or else he would die. But he drove on for another 15km because he did not want to inconvenience passengers. Had he not ignored the pain, we would not have lost him," said Desai. "We reached the bus depot 15 minutes late and he collapsed on his seat after parking," he said.
Vishal Gohil, the depot manager, said that when the bus entered the Radhanpur depot, the conductor called for the controller and informed him that Bharmal Ahir was unwell. By then Ahir had collapsed. "The depot staff rushed him to a nearby hospital, but the doctor advised them to take him to Radhanpur Civil Hospital. By the time they reached Civil hospital, it was too late. The doctors declared him brought dead," said Gohil. Ahir is survived by his wife Raiya and sons Amul, 12, and Dikshant, 3. His family members said that he had been working on a fixed salary for five years and was confirmed as a full-time employee only a few months ago.
Jatinbhai, the deceased's maternal uncle said, "We are told that Bharmal took the risk because he did not want to bother the 35-odd passengers who had been travelling the whole night. So, he decided to visit the hospital after he had dropped them off at Radhanpur depot. By the grace of god, he brought everyone safely to the depot, but could not save himself." Ahir's father too had died young following a heart attack, his family said. Desai said, "Ahir was a sincere driver and had not taken even a day's sick leave in the nearly five years that he worked with us. He had been eagerly waiting for his shift to end so that he could go home to be with his family."