In freak accident, woman’s head severs, tumbles on road after she leans out of bus to vomit

The head of a 56-year-old woman was smashed and severed after hitting an electric pole when she leaned out of the window of a rashly-driven bus to vomit in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna on Friday, police said. The incident took place near Diamond crossing and the victim was identified as Asha Rani, who was travelling from Satna district to Panna district, they said. Asha Rani leaned out of the bus's window to vomit when her head hit the electric pole.

The impact was so massive that her head got severed and tumbled on the road, Kotwali police station inspector Arvind Kujur told PTI over phone.

"We have arrested the bus driver for rash driving and impounded the vehicle," Kujur said, adding investigations are on. The body was handed to her family members after post-mortem, the police inspector said. The deceased hailed from the adjoining Chhatapur district, the officer said.

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This bizarre incident highlights the poor road safety records in India. According to a report by the Transport Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, three persons died every ten minutes in road accidents across India in 2017. The report also said that a total of 4,64,910 road accidents were reported by states and Union Territories in 2017, claiming 1,47,913 lives and causing injuries to 4,70,975 people.

Earlier in June 2018, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had admitted that only 5% lives were saved instead of 50% during road accidents. Gadkari had said that a Road Safety Bill passed in the Lok Sabha to curb road accidents has been pending in the Rajya Sabha for over a year now. The legislation is currently being scrutinised by a standing committee. Gadkari said as many as five lakh accidents occur on an average every year, killing 1.5 lakh people and injuring another three lakh.

The bill – aimed at effecting transparency in regional transport offices – was tabled in Parliament only after a committee headed by Rajasthan transport minister Yunus Khan submitted its report on the matter, the Union minister said.

HIGHLIGHTS

• This bizarre incident highlights the poor road safety records in India.
• A 2017 report said that 3 persons died every 10 mins in accidents in India.
• The report also said that 4,64,910 road accidents were reported by states.