Karnataka: Sudden stop throws kid out of bus; run over

BENGALURU: One moment, six-year-old Jeevitha was enjoying the view through the bus windshield, thrilled to be going to her native village in Tumakuru with her grandmother and uncle. The next, she was flung through the glass and came under the front wheel, dying before the bus could come to a stop.
The accident near Magadi took place seconds after the bus driver noticed cracks in the windshield glass and applied the brake.
Jeevitha, who was sitting on the front seat next to the glass, was thrown off her seat in the impact.
The only child of Kumar and Jyothi, Jeevitha had insisted on going to their village, Ujini, near Huliyurdurga in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district.
Kumar is a carpenter while Jyothi works in a garment factory. Magadi police said the family has been living in Rajagopalanagar in Bengaluru for several years now.
Kumar’s mother Gowramma and younger brother Yogesh planned to visit the village on Wednesday. Jeevitha demanded that they take her with them. The trio took a private bus at Sunkadakatte. Gowramma and Jeevitha sat on the seat perpendicular to the front glass.
Driver booked for negligence:
Around 11.30am, as the bus neared Honnapura lake, 3km from Magadi town and 50km from Bengaluru, the driver noticed that the windshield glass was breaking and hit the brakes.
Before her grandmother could get a hold of her, Jeevitha crashed through the glass and came under the left front wheel. She died instantly.
Magadi police seized the bus and shifted Jeevitha’s body to the government hospital. It was later handed over to family members. Police suspect the glass was of inferior quality, which led to the accident. Police have booked the driver for criminal negligence and further probe is under way.