Kerala man rushes mishap victim to hospital, then learns it’s his son

Thiruvananthapuram: In an eerily tragic incident near Pala in Kerala’s Kottayam district, a middle-aged man rushed two school boys injured in a horrific road mishap to hospital, without knowing one of them was his own son.

But the story ended tragically when the good Samaritan came to know that one of the boys was his son, Akash (13). The boy passed away and his schoolmate was reported to be in critical condition. More heartbreakingly for the entire village, the deceased 13-year-old boy was the only child of Thevarkunnel Sajan and his wife Siji, after an eight-year wait for a child.

The incident happened on Saturday evening near the Vellilapally School in Ramapuram, when Sajan’s son Akash and his friend Christy Dileep were returning home after tuition. The duo were walking by the roadside, pushing their bicycle, when a private bus hit them from behind.

Akash was run over by the bus and Dileep was thrown off the road by the impact. The bus veered off the road and came to a stop after smashing an electric post. Angry local residents pelted the bus with stones and caused damage to its windows and seats. Police prevented it being set ablaze.

Local media reported that it was Akash’s father Sajan who was at hand to rush the victims to hospital, and Sajan was not aware that one of the boys was his own son. The boys were initially rushed to a private hospital near Kottayam and later moved to the Kottayam Medical College. However, Akash’s life could not be saved.

In a touching gesture, Akash’s parents decided to donate his eyes.

Akash was a bright student in class and had also participated in a basketball match before he went for tuition in the evening.

Late on Saturday evening, tension prevailed at Ramapuram as local residents tried to vent their anger at the bus and demanded action against the owners. Several people were injured in the melee, including a police officer.

Earlier this year, the state assembly was informed by home minister Ramesh Chennithala that roughly 4,000 lives were lost each year in Kerala in road accidents, which left 10 times that number injured. A vast majority of the deceased (in excess of 80 per cent) are male, which in turn severely affects the financial condition of the families concerned besides having to bear the trauma of the loss of a family member.