Had the bus driver listened to us…’: Bus passengers recount morning of horror

Had the bus driver listened to us…’: Bus passengers recount morning of horror

According to the survivors, the driver of the bus had been over-speeding and driving rashly since the beginning of the journey on Thursday night, not heeding to their repeated requests to slow down and not take rash and risky turns.

“Had the bus driver listened to the passengers and slowed down, 10 people would not have lost their lives.”

This was the common sentiment among passengers of the bus, which collided with a truck on Friday morning in Nashik, as they recounted how their trip to Shirdi took a tragic turn within a matter of seconds, a few kilometres away from their destination.

According to the survivors, the driver of the bus had been over-speeding and driving rashly since the beginning of the journey on Thursday night, not heeding to their repeated requests to slow down and not take rash and risky turns.

“He also dozed off a couple of times at the wheel and after witnessing that, many pleaded with him to stop the bus. But he was paying no heed to our request,” said Santosh Potle, a survivor.

Recounting the moments after the collision, he said, “The impact was so huge that every passenger of the bus who was sleeping fell off their chair. Before anyone could understand anything, the bus had turned turtle and skidded for few meters before halting at one place. We thought we had no chance of survival.”

Asha Jaiswal, who is admitted at a hospital in Sinnar, said, “I am still in shock. I only remember when the truck collided with the bus and after that I got unconscious.”

Sapna Dange, another passenger, said she was stuck along with other passengers inside the bus and had to break the back glass window to come out.

Prashant Mahanto, who was among the injured, said, “We all were asleep since it was early morning…I couldn’t move at all. Somehow, we got help on time and were saved. The bus driver had been driving rashly. Had he driven slowly and carefully, the lives of the people would have been saved.”

By Vallabh Ozarkar