Ex-Army jawan among 3 killed as ambulance hits luxury bus in Amreli

Police said Vishalkumar, a resident of Khicha village in Dhari taluka, had complaint of low blood pressure and had vomited blood in the morning. Therefore, his family rushed him to Dhari CHC but he was referred to Amreli for further treatment.

“The ambulance was passing through a straight stretch of Dhari-Amreli Highway when it collided with a private luxury bus head-on,” Dhari police inspector PV Patel told The Sunday Express.

Police said that Vishalkumar, ambulance driver Mahesh Talsaniya (33), Shashikant Rajyaguru (49) were injured seriously and they were rushed to Dhari CHC for treatment.

“While Vishalkumar and Talsaniya died while undergoing treatment in Dhari CHC, Rajyaguru was referred to Amreli for further treatment. However, he too succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment,” the police inspector further said.

The PI added that Rajyaguru was additional driver in the ambulance which Vishalkumar’s family had hired.

“It was a straight stretch of two-lane highway with clear visibility. The accident site suggested that the ambulance driver lost control and hit the luxury bus coming from opposite direction even as the bus driver tried to avoid the collision and in the process the bus veered off the highway,” said Patel.

Police said the luxury bus was on its way to Dhari from Amreli.

“Whether the ambulance swerved towards the wrong side and hit the luxury bus due to a human error or a technical glitch the vehicle is a matter of investigation. Prima facie, it appears neither vehicle was over-speeding,” the police inspector further added.

Based on a complaint filed by Virendra Joshi (28), a resident of Khicha and a relative of Vishalkumar, Dhari police have booked the driver of the bus under IPC Sections 304-a (causing death by negligence) and under the Motor Vehicles Act’s section related to rash driving.

Virendra said that Vishalkumar’s cousin brothers Pranav Milan and Dushyant, maternal aunt Usha Joshi—who all were accompanying the patient—also sustained injuries in the accident. He said that Usha is serving as head nurse in Dhari CHC.