Betul–Bhopal highway crash: Man takes 200-km ambulance ride with iron rod pierced through his thigh; accused driver on run

BHOPAL: A routine bike ride turned into a long, agonising ordeal for a 29-year-old man on Saturday after a road accident on the Betul–Bhopal national highway left him what an iron rod that pierced through his thigh, forcing him to endure a more than 200-km ambulance journey to Bhopal in excruciating pain.The accident took place near Neem Pani Bacha Dhaba under Shahpur police station limits when Dharmendra Uikey of Kotmi Mal village was riding with his sister Poonam to Padhar market. Police said a red car grazed past their bike from the rear at great speed, all of a sudden, causing them to lose balance and plunge off a culvert. Dharmendra fell onto exposed iron rods below, with one rod passing straight through his thigh and the remaining lodged in the structure, while his sister also suffered injuries in the fall.Shahpur police station incharge Devkaran Dehariya told TOI , “The accident took place at around 2.10 pm. A local resident, who was nearby at the time, saw and informed us, and fortunately, our police team was also nearby. We reached there within 10 mins. The iron rod pierced the leg of the youth, and one end of the rod was still attached to the pillar. We had to cut it using an iron cutting blade. But by 2.30 pm, we were able to cut it and send the youth to the district hospital. There, primary treatment was given, and the youth was referred to Bhopal with the iron rod still in his leg as a surgery is likely to be performed at Bhopal.”Doctors at Betul district hospital said attempting surgery locally could have worsened his condition, prompting his referral to Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, for specialised treatment. As the ambulance sped towards the capital, Dharmendra lay conscious, battling intense pain through the long journey.His sister Poonam is undergoing treatment at the district hospital and is stated to be stable. Police have registered a case in connection with the accident and a search is ongoing for the absconding car driver.