One killed, 17 injured in bus accident in THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

  A KSRTC bus that hit a motorcycle in front of the Raj Bhavan on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road on Monday. : A motorcyclist was killed and 17 injured when a KSRTC Fast Passenger bus lost control and rammed an avenue tree in front of the Raj Bhavan on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road on Monday.
The deceased had been identified as B. Muralidharan, 49, a lawyer and resident of Panchami, Elakom Nagar, Thycaud. He is survived by wife, Jayshree, Librarian at the Institute of Management in Kerala, and a son, Arjun, a student of the Arya Central School, Pattom.
The injured, including the bus driver, Reghunathan, 56, is under observation at the casualty wing of the Medical College Hospital. The condition of one of the injured was stated to be serious.
The incident took place around 9.50 a.m. The KSRTC bus was proceeding from the central bus station to Vithura. Eyewitnesses said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle, which rammed into an avenue tree first and then into Muralidharan before crashing against the second avenue tree.
The driver reportedly swerved the vehicle to the left to avoid collision with a car that came from Kowdiar side suddenly took a right turn to enter the Keston Road violating the traffic rules.
Muralidharan was extricated from beneath the KSRTC bus and rushed to hospital by the police. He was declared dead on arrival. The incident took place when Muralidharan was proceeding to attend the court at Nedumangad after dropping his wife.
P. Reghunath, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shanghumughom), who was passing by and the personnel on duty at Raj Bhavan and adjacent Ajantha House, official residence of Minister for Dewasom G. Sudhakaran, engaged in rescue operations.
A branch of the tree that got entwined in the bus and was precariously placed in the second avenue tree was later removed by the fire and rescue service personnel. The KSRTC bus attached to the Vithura depot was badly damaged in the accident.
The police have registered a case against the KSRTC driver under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC.
Speeding and traffic violations are a regular feature in front of the Raj Bhavan as the vehicles proceeding to Keston Road from Kowdiar side often take a right turn as a short cut. As per rule, the vehicles coming from Kowdiar will have to proceed to Vellayamabalam round-about and return to enter the Keston Road.