'Instead of helping injured, people shot videos on mobiles'

For 22-year-old Dayavan More, a temporary ward boy at Poona Hospital, yesterday could have been the last day of his life. More had decided to commute from Saraswati petrol pump instead of his regular state transport (ST) stand at Swargate. He was the first one to be knocked down by the killer bus driver -- Santosh Mane -- who went berserk behind the wheel of an ST bus in the city, killing nine and injuring 30 near Swargate bus depot.u00a0

More was admitted to Poona Hospital by a passer-by around 8.30 am.u00a0Shoting spreeu00a0More said that instead of assisting the injured, the onlookers were shooting videos of the incident on their cell phones.u00a0"I was on my bike and saw the bus coming towards meu00a0at full speed from the wrong direction. At first, I thoughtu00a0the driver was taking his busu00a0for servicing to the nearby depot. But it came towards me and knocked me down," More said. u00a0

The impact of the collision was such that More was thrown off his bike to the opposite end of the road, and his bike was completely crushed under the wheels of the bus. "Before fading out, I saw him driving away towards Saraswati petrol pump after knocking down a fruit vendor and a rickshaw.u00a0

I regained consciousness almost two hours later," said More, who sustained serious head injuries along with a fractured left shoulder and right foot.u00a0Since the doctors say that it might take over a month-and-half for More to fully recover, his family, comprising of aged parents and his elder brother Mohan, who is also a ward boy at MRI department of the same hospital, hopes to receive funds from the hospital for More's treatment.

"Since morning, we have spent around Rs 7,000 on his treatment and we haveu00a0to arrange for more. We hope the government gives us good compensation, as we are already short of funds and have a family to look after. Several people, including ministers inquired of his well-being when they visited the hospital, but no one has offered help," said Mohan.