Mangaluru: Van driver’s mental preparedness averts serious accident on NH 66

Mangaluru: Van driver’s mental preparedness averts serious accident on NH 66

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jan 22, 2016: In the heavy traffic on the highway, the brakes of the van that was carrying scaffolding material failed at Nanthoor Circle. But the driver, a senior citizen, who did not lose his cool, managed to stop the vehicle at Pumpwell Junction by steering the four-wheeler into a heap of soil dumped by the side of the highway.

It was a miraculous escape for the driver and other road users.There could have been a major accident on Jan 21, Thursday which was averted.  A soil dump at Pumpwell Junction for road widening acted as as a saviour.

It was a harrowing experience for Tammanna, the van driver aged about 65, driving from Nanthoor Circle towards Pumpwell Junction as he, after passing the Nanthoor Circle, realised that the brakes of his van had failed. As the entire highway slopes towards Pumpwell Junction for over a kilometre, and with the median on the one side and a gorge on the other, he had no option but to stop the vehicle somehow, without causing any major damage. In his effort to bring the vehicle under control, Tammanna tried to run into the median but it failed. As the vehicle could have jumped over the median and rammed other vehicles on the opposite lane he did not attempt again.

At the same time, some two-wheeler riders, who realised that the brakes of the van had failed, tried to help. They passed by the tempo and kept stones on the highway in a bid to stop the rushing vehicle.

Though Tammanna drove over the stones, he could not bring it to a halt. Many suggested that he jump out of the vehicle but he did not agree to it.

The real challenge was in front of Karnataka Bank headquarters where the highway is bereft of a median, till Mahaveera Circle (Pumpwell Junction). The driver, however, steered the vehicle onto the service road, turned left at the circle and drove it into the heap of soil, bringing to an end an unforgettable episode in his driving career.  Tammanna for his courage in bringing the van to safety, was lavished with appreciation by many who saw the episode.