Night without end

As he manoeuvred his vehicle on the road, Hussain suddenly felt something hit it from behind. He lost control over his truck, crashing into a boundary wall on the left, skidding further to bang into a huge tree. The front portion of the truck was completely crushed, right up to the driver’s seat. And to his horror, Hussain discovered that he was stuck in the little space between the steering wheel and the back of the driver’s cabin. His right leg was caught in the remains of the truck’s bonnet.

“I remember seeing the tree and experiencing the thunderous impact of the crash. And I thought – this is it, the end. However, as the wheels stopped whirring, I realised I was still alive but unable to move. The pain started – I just could not extract the right leg. It was dark and I began screaming hysterically for help. Fortunately, this being an army area, there were many army personnel around who rushed to my aid. But there was no way they could reach up to me since both the front doors were totally jammed,” whispers Hussain, as he lies in Ward No 3 of the Sassoon General Hospital, his leg in plaster.

Soon, the police arrived at the site. As searchlights shot through the dark, fire brigade personnel and the police feverishly engaged themselves in a rescue operation that seemed to be getting nowhere. “We reached the spot 15 to 20 minutes after the accident, and found the driver trapped. We stopped a crane that was passing by, but since it did not have the requisite accessories, it was of little help. Next, we called a fire brigade and a police crane, but they too failed to break open the truck’s cabin. There was little anyone could do to help,” elaborates constable B F Doiphode, among the first persons to reach the site alongwith Inspector N K Pardeshi and PSI J S Pathan.

With about 60,000 broken eggs strewn about and the hapless driver trying to contain his pain and terror, time was running out. It was then that the police hit upon the idea of getting a welder to the site. “Though it was late, we went to the Ghorpuri bazaar and got a gas-cutter to the place.” The welder succeeded where cranes and fire brigade had failed. Finally, the door was cut open, with the crane pulling away the front portion of the truck, and Hussain was helped out.

“We rushed him to Sassoon, where he was admitted and treated for injuries on the chest and a fractured leg. The driver of the truck that had banged into this one, had absconded. We launched a search and found him by next morning,” adds Doiphode.

Meanwhile, Hussain lies recouping, with a maternal uncle at his side. “Every time they tried to open the door and failed, I was sure I would die, or the vehicle would blow up. But once the welder came on the scene, I relaxed. I knew things would be fine,” he reminisces. And even as the mental scars of the night are still fresh, Hussain is already occupied with the practical aspects of life, having a wife and three kids to support. “It’s a second lease of life alright, but I just hope my leg gets back to normal soon,” says the man who has been working as a driver for nine years. And will he return to this route and job. “Why not? I’ve been doing this route three to four times a week and have never had a single mishap,” he replies as he closes his eyes.