Puttur: Car falls into canal after driver falls asleep, boy’s quick thinking saves occupants

Five persons, including a boy, had a miraculous escape after their car fell into a roadside ditch kapu near Sediyapu on Uppinangady highway on Thursday morning between 5:45 AM and 6:00 AM.

The car veered off the road and fell into a 10-foot canal, some 250 meters away from Sediyapu Junction, after the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The car occupants, who were returning home after attending a function in Mundur, were trapped within the car as one side was buried in the soil while the driver’s side door faced upward.

The driver, Charan, a resident of Ujire in Belthangady taluk, was behind the wheel. Among the passengers were Charan’s father, brother-in-law, and two children. Charan’s nephew, Vansh, a class 5 student came out of the car after opening the door with great difficulty. The other car occupants were unable to climb out and Vansh’s effort to help them failed.

At this time Vansh displayed quick thinking, climbed out of the canal, and flagged down vehicles moving on the highway for assistance.

With the help of locals, all passengers were rescued. Although all five sustained minor injuries, they were taken to a private hospital in Puttur for treatment.