When you see someone dying on the road...

It was on a Saturday early morning at about 6AM, I and Shilpa were on our way to attend a wedding in Arsikere. We had planned to visit ShravanaBelagola on our way. I was enjoying the early morning drive on this well maintained NH48. On our way we saw some huge trees being brought down by few men. When enquired we got to know that the trees are being chopped to widen the road into a 4 lane highway. Though it was good to hear that we will be having another 4 lane highway leading to Bangalore, the chopping of trees was bad. With heavy heart we continued.

It was just about 20 minutes that we had crossed Nelamangala and we came across a blind curve, few stones were kept on the road to divert the traffic and gradually the scene started unfolding in front of us. There was bike lying by the side of the road, one person was lying right in the middle of the road and another person on the side. Both of them were completely in blood. We sympathized them and continued to drive just like hundreds of vehicles that would have passed this scene.

Soon we called up 100 to inform the police, someone picked up the call and we were out of reach of the mobile tower. I stopped the car and walked backwards hoping to get signal to call the police, but in vein. I told Shilpa, we will go back and see what’s happening. Initially she was hesitant as she did not want to see the blood. I turned the car back and parked the car at a distance. As I walked down towards the scene I realized that the person who was in the middle of the road was dead. An overtaking mini truck had collided with these two bikers and had killed one of them. The other person who was still breathing had a broken leg. There were people around him, someone had already contacted and informed his family as well as the police.

I couldn’t convince myself to go with my plan, leaving this person who was struggling for his life in the middle of the road with no help around. When asked, I got to know that there was a govt. hospital just 4Kms from there, but the doctors would not be in before 10AM. The nearest good hospital would be in Kunigal or Nelamangala, both are about 20 Kms from the spot. I asked the people around to help me put this person in the rear seat of my car and I would drive him to Kunigal hospital. We cleared the rear seat of all the things we had dumped and covered the seat with the dicky mat. People some how managed to put him in.

Now, one of his leg was hanging out of the car and he could not bend it. When people tried to bend his leg, he screamed like hell. I decided not waste any time tied the door with a rope and started driving with a half open door on the highway. I being a novice in all this, could not realize that I had kept the wrong door open, it was the right side rear door. But now I had no option but to go ahead. I turned my head lights and the hazard warning lamp on, to attract the attention of on coming vehicles and headed towards Harsha hospital in Nelamangala.

Those 30 minutes drive was one terrific experience for me. I am driving a car with a door two thirds open on the right side of the road, on a highway, where hundreds of vehicles pass and no one drives below 80-90 Kmph. There are villages on the way, people, cattle could be crossing the roads. And I have a seriously injured person in my rear seat. Every driver in the on-coming vehicle is pointing at me and shouting ‘your door is open’, as if I am an idiot driving with an open door. Some people who overtook me were staring at me as if I was responsible for the accident. I had to ignore all these guys and concentrate on the road, over take the slow moving trucks. In between I shouted the person’s name often to make sure he is still breathing. I was completely tensed. More over I had to cross the Nelamangala signal (with the door open) where at any time of the day, there will be huge traffic.

Finally I reached Harsha hospital in Nelamangala. Some one from KeshavaMurthy’s side was already waiting for us there. Immediately he was taken to the casualty and doctors got into work. I was told that he had serious head injury and a broken leg. As soon as his 11 year old son saw his father lying with a leg broken and completely blood started screaming. He came to me and said, “he is the only bread winner for the family, please save him”. All my tension had vanished and tears rolled down my cheeks, and felt proud of myself, for doing my bit in trying to save a life. It is about 10 days that this happened, I do not know his status, but I hope he survived the accident and will be normal soon.

When I decide to take this person to the hospital, nothing came into my mind. I did not bother what would the legal complication, will the hospital admit him. But things were so simple. The doctors attended to him as soon as I reached the hospital. On my way back, I stopped at the same place. The police had finished the formality and had moved the other body and the bike. They saw me getting out of the car and thanked me for whatever was done. They said “Good to see people with humanity even now” and I replied “ that is what we take back along with us” and bid good bye to them.

As we continued we were talking to each other. Why did other people hesitate to help the victim. Even I would have ignored a situation like this some other time. But why do we do it at all. Are we all so busy in reaching our destinations, that we do not even value a life or are we scared of the police, and all other legal hassles. I realized, India is changing and has changed. If one helps an accident victim, people and even the police thank him for being a good human being. No one will trouble him for a kind gesture shown to the needy.