Elderly woman loses leg after KSRTC bus runs over it in Wayanad

Kozhikode: An elderly woman, who was returning after voting at Vythiri in Wayanad, was seriously injured and had her leg amputated as the KSRTC bus from which she had just alighted ran over her leg. The family alleged that the mishap occurred due to serious lapse on the part of the driver, who drove the bus forward before she could safely get down. Janu (65), a native of Vythiri, was on her way to her daughter's house at Chippilithode when the accident occurred. The rear wheels of the KSRTC bus ran over her leg after she had alighted from it. Her daughter Mini said the bus did not stop properly at the designated bus stop but halted ahead at a spot with insufficient space. "The bus moved forward before she could alight properly. She fell and the rear tyres ran over her," Mini said. A passenger, Salih, alleged negligence on the part of both the driver and the conductor, stating that they failed to ensure that the passenger had safely alighted. "The driver did not check the rear-view mirror. Both the driver and conductor share responsibility," he said. However, driver Firos Khan denied the allegation, claiming that the woman had already stepped down and may have fallen while walking backwards. "There was limited space there. I moved the bus only after the bell was rung," he said. The family said Janu's leg had to be amputated below the thigh and that she is currently undergoing treatment in the orthopaedic ICU of the Kozhikode govt medical college. Janu had been working at a resort in Vythiri.