A 75-year-old woman, who suffered a stroke and was on her way to a hospital, was among the five persons who were injured when the ambulance carrying the patient and her relatives lost control and hit a stationary truck on Jessore Road in northeast Kolkata in the wee hours of Monday.
The rooftop of the ambulance was ripped apart in the impact of the collision and patient Angurbala Maity along with her relatives were flung out of the cabin on the road.
“The accident took place around 3.30am on Jessore Road. The ambulance was headed towards Barasat. We are yet to find out the exact cause of the collision,” said a senior officer of the NSCBI Airport police station.
The injured that included the driver, were shifted to Barasat state general hospital where doctors said the family members of Angurbala had received injuries on their limbs, face and neck.
The 75-year-old had received injuries on her hip and left leg while the driver sustained serious head injuries.
Angurbala, a resident of Kalinidi village of Ramnagar in Purba Medinipur district, and her relatives were headed towards Barasat to admit her.
“A few of the eyewitnesses told us that a loaded mini-truck was standing on the left side of Jessore Road. The driver and his helper were repairing the vehicle,” said a senior police officer.
“Suddenly, the ambulance started veering towards the left. It crashed on the right rear corner of the mini-truck.”
The driver, Raju Baksh54, received serious injuries as the ambulance hit the mini-truck and came to a halt.
Three others, including Ratan Maity, 26, Moni Giri,35, and Krishnapada Maity 47, were flung out of their seats.
The driver of the mini-truck and a few others who were crossing by the spot — close to Sahara bridge in NewBarrackpore — joined hands to remove the injured from the road and one of them called the police.
“The driver possibly was feeling drowsy. Since the vehicle was moving at high speed, it quickly veered to the left and by the time he pulled the brakes, the collision had happened,” said the officer.
“We have informed the owner of the vehicle and have asked for a team of mechanical experts to examine it.”