The school bus rolled over thrice and turned turtle after the drunk driver lost control of the vehicle.
The school bus rolled over thrice and turned turtle after the drunk driver lost control of the vehicle.
The case of drink-driving is proof enough of how grave the offence is. In what can be called dire negligence on part of a school, a class VIII student died yesterday, while 20 others were injuredu00a0-- three of them critically, when the drunk driver lost control of the vehicle. 
Mob Fury: Angry parents and residents of the area burnt the bus after
the incident. The driver, who fractured his right leg in the accident is in
a critical condition. Pic/Satish Badiger
According to the police, at 5.20 pm, the inebriated driver Srinivas, started the minibus to ferry students back home from Saint Philomena school.
The students had no inkling of the driver's state, and they sat in their usual places. It was peak traffic time, and he was allegedly driving fast.
Barely 15 minutes later, when he had reached Bagaloor Road in Maruti Nagar, Sarjapur, he failed to negotiate a sudden U-turn. In his drunken haze, he almost missed a gutter, but it was too late. The bus turned turtle after rolling over thrice, said a police officer.
Fourteen-year old Abhilash died in the accident, while Yashwant, Suruchi and Gyan (all aged between 12-13 years) were seriously injured. The children were admitted to various hospitals across the city. Yashwant sustained serious abdominal injuries, and is in the ICU. His urinary bladder has burst, a doctor said.
Vinod, a class VI student, said, "Everything happened so suddenly. I thought I was dreaming. It was only when others started screaming I realised something was wrong. I didn't even know when I fractured my hand." He is now undergoing treatment at VIMS Hospital. His sister Pavani too was injured, but both siblings are safe.
Srinivas, who fractured his right leg, too is in a critical condition. "His blood alcohol level was 85 per cent," said a doctor from VIMS hospital.
ACP (Madivada sub-division) Guley SY said, "The traffic police has registered a case. The police is also questioning the management over the incident." The school management members were not available for comment. Meanwhile, angry parents and residents of the area burnt the bus after the incident.
"The school management had assured us of a good service, but it was never the case.u00a0 They do not take precautions, nor do they care about the students. They are only earning profits at our expense," said K Manjunath, a parent. Even after the accident, no one from the management arrived or took calls, he added.
Parents claimed that the minibus was an old model, and despite them asking the school to upgrade the vehicle or buy a new one, nothing was ever done.
"We have had to push the vehicle on several occasions for it to start, said a parent. After several protests, the management only reduced the number of children to be ferried in the vehicle, said another parent.
Rash driver
According to another driver, Srinivas often used to drink, but he had rarely been behind the wheel in an inebriated state. However yesterday, he drank too much, he said, adding that he was a rash driver and would often speed after dropping students.
90% Road accidents were due to drink driving this year
10% Bangalore's share of the total road fatalities in India
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62,867u00a0Drivers booked for drink driving this year
Rs 4 cr Fine collected for drink driving last year
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