Haripad: In a heroic as well as touching incident a 60-year-old driver managed to ensure the safety of 12 children in his mini-bus even as his end neared after he suffered a heart attack.
Rameshan, the driver of the mini-bus ferrying students to the Sree Ramakrishna Vidyalayam at Karuvatta village in Alappuzha district, developed chest pain while on duty but ensured the safety of the students before collapsing on the driving seat.
As soon as he sensed severe chest pain, Rameshan immediately halted the bus by the roadside. Then he collapsed on the driving seat. He was sweating profusely.
Vijayalakshmi, the nursemaid (ayah) on the bus, tried to revive him but to no avail.
Subsequently, she got off the bus and raised an alarm. Rameshan was rushed to the Haripad taluk hospital in a car with the help of the local residents. But his life could not be saved.
He died of a heart attack, according to the doctors.
The incident happened around 8.30am on Friday. The mini-bus was on its way back to Karuvatta along the National Highway after students boarded the vehicle from SN Kadavu. Rameshan felt uneasiness when the vehicle was passing through a road with paddy fields on both sides. If the vehicle was not halted by him, it could have gone out of control and plunged onto the fields.
Rameshan is survived by his wife Sheeja and children Ranjith and Aditya.
