Chennai: Driver suffers heart attack, saves lives before collapsing

Chennai, Jan 22: Despite suffering a cardiac arrest, a 31-year-old bus driver saved many lives as he halted the vehicle in time on the busy GST Road here during peak hour traffic before collapsing at the wheel.

A Anandan, steering the bus bound for Thoraipakkam from Maraimalai Nagar with employees of a private company onboard, developed severe chest pain near a hospital in suburban Tambaram, police said.

Showing presence of mind, he managed to slow down the bus and parked it on the side of the road and then collapsed.

"He almost died at the wheel after halting the bus. When he was rushed to a hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival," a Police official said.

"Thankfully he halted the bus. If he had lost control, we don't know what would have happened as it was peak hour and it was a such a busy junction."

Anandan, a native of Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai District was staying at a rented accommodation at suburban Keelkattalai.

PTI