Speeding SUV rams school van; 6 kids injured, 3 in ICU

Jaipur: A speeding SUV rammed into a school van on Mansarovar's busy VT Road Wednesday morning, leaving three children battling critical injuries under intensive care. Three other children sustained less severe injuries, while the van driver suffered a broken leg.

Eyewitnesses said the accident was so violent it caused the school van to flip over and land 60 metres away from point of impact. Police said the driver of the SUV abandoned the vehicle and managed to flee the scene.

The accident occurred around 11am when the school van ferrying children home after an exam was crossing VT Road. Police said the SUV came at high speed from the direction of New Sanganer Road and crashed into the van on the driver's side.


Eyewitnesses said children were hurled against the interior of the van as it rolled over. Passersby rushed to the scene and managed to pull the children out of the mangled vehicle. They took them to a private hospital nearby before police arrived.

Doctors at the hospital said three children were admitted to the ICU with multiple fractures and head injuries. Two other children were shifted to the general ward, where the van driver is also undergoing treatment.

Anuj Mathur, whose nine-year-old daughter is among the injured, told TOI that she suffered head and rib injuries and remains critical. "We have learned that the SUV was being driven at a very high speed. The driver fled the scene and has not been arrested yet," he said.

Teams from Shipra Path police station and Accident Police Station (South) reached the spot soon after the crash. Both vehicles were badly damaged and were removed to clear traffic on the busy stretch.

Hari Narayan, an officer at the Accident Police Station (South), said an FIR has been registered against the SUV driver.

"We have noted down his details, and efforts are underway to trace him based on the SUV's registration number," he said.

This is the latest in a string of fatal accidents that continue to plague the city's roads and comes not long after a 15-day special road safety campaign starting Nov 4.