Teen dies as SUV driven by minor hits scooter, crashes into school bus

The accident took place around 7.30 am near Sanjivani Hospital.

RAIPUR: A 17-year-old boy was killed after a speeding car rammed into his scooter before crashing into a school mini-bus on Warehouse Road in Bilaspur on Sunday morning. The accident took place around 7.30 am near Sanjivani Hospital.

According to Civil Lines police, the car was being driven at high speed and allegedly in a rash and negligent manner when it collided head-on with the scooter at a turn. The impact threw the teenager several feet onto the road, leaving him critically injured. The car then went out of control and crashed into a school mini-bus after attempting to overtake another mini-bus coming from the opposite direction. The front portion of the bus was damaged in the collision.

No major injuries were reported among the bus occupants. Local residents rushed the injured boy to the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), from where he was shifted by his family to a private hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The deceased was identified as Rudra Pratap Sharma, a resident of Abhishek Nagar in Mangla. Eyewitnesses said the car driver and the other occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene immediately after the accident.

A Civil Lines police team reached the spot, conducted a preliminary investigation and seized the car. Police have launched a search for the absconding driver and are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify those travelling in the vehicle. An FIR has been registered against the driver under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said. According to police, the driver, who is suspected to be a minor, was accompanied by his minor friends and was allegedly on his way for a morning outing when the accident occurred. Preliminary investigation suggests that the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian, resulting in a collision with the scooter ridden by Sharma.