The accident occurred around 6:30 am on Wednesday, when the Service bus ‘Rajarajeshwari’ bearing registration number KA 19 - AA 3749, plying from Kateel to Mangalore reached Chilimbi.
Though the brake failure was the main reason for the tragedy, the driver’s mobile phone also played its own role in the accident, according to the sources.
It is learnt that 35-year-old driver Ram, a resident of Pakshikere, was speaking on his mobile phone, when he realized that the vehicle’s brakes had developed some snag.
After losing control over the speeding bus, the driver hit a road divider in front of More Supermarket at Chilimbi. However, the speeding bus climbed the divider and hit three electrical poles and rammed into a stationary Maruti Omni while heading towards Lady Hill.
One of the passengers said that the helpless driver began to shout when the bus continued to move after hitting a bus stop.
Following the suggestions of a few passengers, the driver tried to ram into the Lady Hill Circle to avoid major tragedy. However the bus missed the target and rammed into the compound wall of a school and toppled another electric pole, he said.
Luckily, the bus came to a halt a couple of metres away from an electric transformer.
“I tried to apply the brakes and slammed the pedal repeatedly, but the bus did not stop. I could not do anything,” said the panic-stricken driver, who sustained injuries in the incident.
