Car in Kerala Minister’s Convoy Rams Ambulance, Causing It to Topple

The ambulance narrowly missed hitting a policeman twice.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Disturbing visuals, which have emerged from Kerala, show a pilot car in a minister’s convoy ramming an ambulance at a busy crossing. The impact is so severe that the ambulance falls on its side and begins to slide, narrowly missing hitting a policeman twice. The pilot car then goes on to hit a motorcycle that had stopped at the crossing.

Police said three people were injured, including the patient in the ambulance. A case has been filed against the drivers of the pilot car and the ambulance. 

The incident took place near Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday and involved the convoy of Kerala’s Education Minister V Sivankutty.

CCTV footage of the incident shows the minister’s convoy arriving at the intersection from the wrong side, travelling up on a road meant for down traffic. Two policemen manning the intersection hear the convoy arriving and rush to stop the traffic, which was flowing parallel to the road being used by the convoy. 

All the vehicles manage to cross the intersection, with the exception of a motorcycle, which stops near the side of the road. As the pilot car takes a left from the crossing, an ambulance tries to cross the intersection from its right, where the traffic had already been stopped.

The footage shows the front of the pilot car hitting one side of the ambulance, which topples over and begins to slide towards one of the policemen, who escapes by the skin of his teeth. He dodges the back of the ambulance and then manages to jump out of the way as the vehicle swings around and hurtles toward him again.

The pilot car goes on to hit the motorcycle, but the rider manages to keep the bike from falling. The other car in the convoy can be seen crossing the intersection without stopping as the policemen and passersby help get the ambulance upright. 

Minister Sivankutty has not reacted to the incident so far.