A 35-year-old software engineer died in Bengaluru on Wednesday night after the ambulance, responding to his accident, failed to reach him because it got stuck at an underpass. The incident has sparked concern over unscientific infrastructure designs impeding emergency services.
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Accident near judicial layout turns fatal
As per a report by the New Indian Express, the victim, Anand, a resident of Attur Layout and native of Chintamani in Chikkaballapura district, was returning home around 10.30 pm with a friend after work from Manyata Tech Park. As their bike passed near the Judicial Layout area in Yelahanka, it reportedly skidded, causing both riders to fall. Anand suffered a severe head injury after hitting a roadside pole. People passing by immediately rushed to help and called emergency services.
Ambulance unable to reach due to low underpass
As per the report by New Indian Express, while the ambulance got to the locale in a pretty good time, access was prevented by the rail underpass nearby, which locals have long complained about because it's constructed both very low and narrow. Without an alternative route for rapid access, the responders had to wait on the other side of the underpass.
Locals then moved the injured techie into a car and took him to the ambulance. By the time he was finally brought to the Yelahanka Government Hospital, doctors declared him dead on arrival. The Yelahanka Traffic Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the accident.
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The delay in providing medical care during the crucial golden hour was most likely the reason for Anand's death, according to police officials. Having turned a father recently and married just two years back, his family found the tragedy all the more heartbreaking.
For residents, frustration mounted with the underpass design. HM Venkatesh, resident of Yelahanka, said that the ambulance arrived quite promptly, “but due to the unscientific railway underpass, the ambulance was unable to come near the victim. The injured was then shifted in a car till the ambulance.”
