[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

I don't see it. It is the right front of the bus that should be damaged if overtaking from the left.

Bus was trying to overtake another vehicle from the left side. Omni was on the extreme left side, waiting to take a turn. There was very little or no space for that bus to avoid hitting that Omni.

This is what I got to know from my colleague's description and it (after seeing those pics) sounds logical to me.

[nda992]

Originally Posted by samaspire

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Got these images yesterday but could not bring myself to post it here. Really horrible. Here's what I could gather from the local newspapers today. The Omni was turning right across the highway to enter the school road, which was less than .5 Km away. It was raining heavily and visibility was low. Speeding bus hit the passenger side.

The passengers in the Omni included the driver's wife (a teacher at the same school) and his 4 kids, 3 of whom died.

The bus driver and conductor have been booked under various sections, but I guess the bus driver may not be at fault here.

This post is by far the most heart wrenching I've ever read on TBHP.

I have a 3 year old daughter who's staying in Pune with my wife, since I'm in the Army and posted in a god forsaken place.

My daughter's school is 1.5 km away from home, and her mom walks her down to school everyday instead of subscribing to the school van, which in turn is an Omni.

My wife and me decided this long ago that under no circumstance, would we send our kid in an Omni. the drivers are young boys who drive recklessly and in case we ask them to drive carefully, they'll give a spiteful look.

Our ministers and traffic police dept really need to wake up.

I feel that most of the accidents happening are because of a lack of fear in breaking traffic rules. Added to that is the ease by which DLs are doled out in most of our states, especially in North India.

I pray to god to give the parents of the unfortunate kids, the strength to bear this irreparable loss.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by nda992

I have a 3 year old daughter who's staying in Pune with my wife, since I'm in the Army and posted in a god forsaken place.

My daughter's school is 1.5 km away from home, and her mom walks her down to school everyday instead of subscribing to the school van, which in turn is an Omni.
...
Our ministers and traffic police dept really need to wake up.

I feel that most of the accidents happening are because of a lack of fear in breaking traffic rules. Added to that is the ease by which DLs are doled out in .

Good to know what you decided to do.

But I have a different perspective towards the problem. It's not the ministers or the traffic police but people like you and I, that need to wake up to the very cruel reality of accidents can happen to anyone. And until and unless we take it upon ourselves to change the situation - the problem would remain. We have to say NO (yes shout it out loud) to any mode of transport which is unsafe and specially meant for our kids.

Slightly OT: This topic really kills me. Just yesterday I drove to Tirupati and saw a car being driven with the hatch open and 2 kids barely aged 4 sitting in with an adult. It was a Duster type vehicle I was like
People just take safety for granted - that is the unfortunate reality of life. And yes, there were the usual doses of bikes driven with no lights and cars being driven with only one headlight working. Things that I would not dream of doing in the city, people were perfectly all right doing it on a highway and driving well above the safe speed limit.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Mate, let me share my experience. My first son too traveled in a private van to school as the school bus did not ply on the route where we lived. This is one of the primary factor as to why people choose private vans.

This is the case even today at my home town where there are only couple of good schools and transportation is a big challenge. If there is any "Development" from the days I did my schooling to now, its only the presence of Diesel Rickshaws and Tata Ace/Magics apart from the usual Maruti Vans.

Parents used to group together from a village (and more) and make their own arrangements for transporting the kids by any means - Maruti Omni being the most easiest option then (and even now).

I met the school principal and tried my level best to convince him regarding extending the bus route to the main road where we live and that there are other families too who live close by. I also said we are ready to pay more for the extra distance to be covered. He neither said yes or no.

I am totally with you on this as my classmates' kids around my hometown face this even today. So they are dropped to school at times by their father in Boleros which goes to pick laborers for the day or they make these kids board a Private/KSRTC Bus that reaches the town in wee hours and kids simply have to kill time till School starts.

The situation hasn't changed even today and like you mention, the School authority wants to help but is helpless!

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

That van was waiting to take a turn towards the school with direction indicator on.

Thanks Rudra. Read these details very next day in Deccan Herald. It also mentioned how the Indicator of the Van was till on post the collision.

Private buses are always competing with each other in these small towns.

Been watching them growing up around this region on regular basis. Mangalore-Udupi and Mangalore-Kasargod were notorious for these ruffian buses.

[hemanth.anand]

Do not know how it happened, Got it from a friend on whatsapp just now.
A BMTC Volvo is stuck perpendicular to the road on the median!
This is near Kalamandir near Marathahalli on the ORR in Bangalore. can lead to a big traffic jam.

Looks like he was trying to make an inexistent U-turn over the median after driving on the wrong side of the road(more believable)
Or in an unlikely case must have tried to avoid something when at high speed (because you can't be at a high speed on the ORR can you)

[Doylthippo]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Looks like he was trying to make an inexistent U-turn over the median after driving on the wrong side of the road(more believable)
Or in an unlikely case must have tried to avoid something when at high speed (because you can't be at a high speed on the ORR can you)

I guess it could also be a steering failure when the vehicle was in movement and it might have taken an unexpected left turn.

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Do not know how it happened, Got it from a friend on whatsapp just now.

News from hindu states brake fail! I really wonder if this is the case? Any time a large vehicle meets the accident, common cause stated is brake fail, how convenient!

[Doylthippo]

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

News from hindu states brake fail! I really wonder if this is the case? Any time a large vehicle meets the accident, common cause stated is brake fail, how convenient!

Sir, Let it be brake fail or something else that failed, but why the vehicle is on the wrong side of the road and trying to come onto the correct side of the road .

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by Doylthippo

I guess it could also be a steering failure when the vehicle was in movement and it might have taken an unexpected left turn.

Even if we believe that it was a stearing failure and the bus turned left, Look at the position of the vehicle, it is already on the wrong side of the road!
And if he is really taking a U-turn, he will end up going on the wrong side again!

The turned wheel is misleading us to believe that it is taking a U-turn.
I feel that the wheel was turned after the vehicle got stuck!
IMO he wanted to avoid going far away to take a U-turn and hence, he conveniently drove some distance in the wrong direction and tried to get on the other side.

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

News from hindu states brake fail! I really wonder if this is the case? Any time a large vehicle meets the accident, common cause stated is brake fail, how convenient!

If we believe this, I can't imagine the stunt he must have done to get the bus in the position that it is. He could land a stuntman job in the movie industry with such skills!

[nda992]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Good to know what you decided to do.

But I have a different perspective towards the problem. It's not the ministers or the traffic police but people like you and I, that need to wake up to the very cruel reality of accidents can happen to anyone. And until and unless we take it upon ourselves to change the situation - the problem would remain. We have to say NO (yes shout it out loud) to any mode of transport which is unsafe and specially meant for our kids.

True. We need to speak out every time we see violations.

The sad fact is, that it is us, in turn, who react nonchalantly, and some times even aggressively, to good advice being given.

Indians are rule breakers, and that is going to change only by strict implementation of traffic rules.

[vnidta]

Originally Posted by Doylthippo

I guess it could also be a steering failure when the vehicle was in movement and it might have taken an unexpected left turn.

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

Any time a large vehicle meets the accident, common cause stated is brake fail, how convenient!

Originally Posted by Doylthippo

but why the vehicle is on wrong side of the road and trying to come into correct side of the road

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

if he is really taking a U-turn, he will end up going on the wrong side again!

The turned wheel is misleading us to believe that it is taking a U-turn.
I feel that the wheel was turned after the vehicle got stuck!

If we believe this, I can't imagine the stunt he must have done to get the bus in the position that it is. He could land a stuntman job in the movie industry with such skills!

Considering all the stories with respect to Brake Failure, U-Turn, Steering Failure etc.., the below picture depicts the kind of theory that I can come up with.

The driver was sent from heavens and has always been following the best practices on road, teaching every passing soul about the good ways of driving. God wanted to test his abilities and hence, provided him with a tough situation involving all failures. This is how he handled it!



But is that ever possible on the ORR? If you ask me.., I'd say "HELL NO!"

[sanjaykk]

Since it is an upwards slant towards KR Puram, is it possible that due to brake failure, the bus was rolling downwards (in reverse) and the driver tried to stop the bus by hitting the median?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

If we believe this, I can't imagine the stunt he must have done to get the bus in the position that it is. He could land a stuntman job in the movie industry with such skills!

Remembering the picture you captured of a BMTC Volvo dash showing check brake light glowing, I suspect this time the brake failure theory is true.

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

Since it is an upwards slant towards KR Puram, is it possible that due to brake failure, the bus was rolling downwards (in reverse) and the driver tried to stop the bus by hitting the median?

Quite possible. Looking at the scrape marks on the front left corner of the bus, he would have been in the left lane, scrapped the left wall of the underpass and veered onto to the median in reverse. The steering like someone mentioned would have turned after stopping due to loss of weight on the front wheels.

[binand]

Originally Posted by tharian

Quite possible. Looking at the scrape marks on the front left corner of the bus, he would have been in the left lane, scrapped the left wall of the underpass and veered onto to the median in reverse.

All BMTC buses have scrapes somewhere or the other. :-) I think it is more likely that in the wee hours of the morning, the driver, presumably coming down the Marathahalli bridge from Whitefield side and planning to to towards KR Puram on ORR, for some reason went down via the left ramp (Tansi Honda ramp - maybe the diagonally opposite ramp was blocked), turned onto the ORR on the wrong side, tried to cross over to the right side after the underpass at some place where the driver judged the median to be of manageable height and width, and failed miserably and catastrophically.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by binand

All BMTC buses have scrapes somewhere or the other. :-) I think it is more likely that in the wee hours of the morning, the driver, presumably coming down the Marathahalli bridge from Whitefield side and planning to to towards KR Puram on ORR, for some reason went down via the left ramp (Tansi Honda ramp - maybe the diagonally opposite ramp was blocked), turned onto the ORR on the wrong side, tried to cross over to the right side after the underpass at some place where the driver judged the median to be of manageable height and width, and failed miserably and catastrophically.

Agree with the scrape marks all over. But, look closely in the picture posted earlier, you can notice paint and concrete marks staring from below the A pillar of the bus till the bottom.
With the rains, this would have been washed away, if it was old.

Regarding taking a U turn over the divider, he must be a lunatic if he actually tried that, and I honestly doubt if that is what happened.