9-month-old baby thrown off bus after driver applies sudden brake, dies
Police said Rajadurai and his wife, Muthulakshmi, both hailing from Dharmapuri district, were working as construction labourers in Coimbatore.
Representative Image
CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, a nine-month-old baby boy died after getting thrown off a moving bus in Salem on Monday night, falling from his father’s hand after the bus driver suddenly applied the brakes.
Police said Rajadurai and his wife, Muthulakshmi, both hailing from Dharmapuri district, were working as construction labourers in Coimbatore. The couple came to the funeral of a relative in Dharmapuri district, and were returning to Coimbatore along with their seven-year-old girl child and nine-month-old baby boy named Navaneez when the tragic incident happened.
“They boarded a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus in Salem around 10 pm and sat in a front seat behind the driver. En route, Rajadurai appealed to close the front side door of the bus, but the crew reportedly turned down his request,” police said.
As the bus reached Valayakaranur near Sangagiri on the national highways, the driver is said to have suddenly applied the brakes, leading to the incident. An unsuspecting father, Rajadurai, who was holding the baby in his left hand, lost balance and the baby fell off the footboard and further landed on the road.
After the panicked parents raised an alarm, the driver brought the bus to a halt, and the baby was rescued from the road. The baby was rushed to Kumarapalayam Government Hospital with severe injuries for treatment. However, the baby died on the way. The Thevur police registered a case, and an inquiry is underway.
