Bus goes on Pavement: BIWTC official loses leg

A female government official lost her left leg after a recklessly-driven bus ran her over on a pavement in the city’s Banglamotor area yesterday afternoon.

Doctors said they had to amputate Krishna Roy Chowdhury’s left leg from below the knee to save her life.

The accident took place around 2:30pm when Krishna, 55, assistant manager (accounts) at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, was on her way to a private bank in Banglamotor from her nearby office.

Witnesses said the bus was racing with another one, with both vehicles heading towards Shahbagh. At one stage, the bus driver lost control of the steering wheel and hit the woman standing on the footpath.

The victim was rushed to the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital from where she was shifted to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (Nitor).

Krishna, who also sustained head injuries, was operated on at the hospital.

Shocked by the news, her family members and colleagues rushed to Nitor.

Krishna’s husband Radhe Shyam Chowdhury said, “Despite doing nothing wrong, my wife lost her left leg due to reckless driving. My family will have to suffer for this throughout her life. We want justice.”

Doctors said Krishna was given two units of blood and her health was stable. They said she should be shifted either to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) or to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital as she suffered head injuries also.

Khairul Alam, sub-inspector of Hatirjheel Police Station, said police seized the bus, but its driver and his helper managed to flee.

Krishna, who had joined the BIWTC in 1990, lives with her family in the city’s Maniknagar.

Earlier on April 3 last year, a college student named Rajib lost his right hand after it got stuck between two speeding buses competing to overtake each other near Banglamotor area.

After two weeks in coma with severe head injuries, he died at the DMCH.