Family of four learn the hard way

Coimbatore: It was a double whammy for P Pavithra and her family who were on a bike riding along the pot-holed Puliyakulam road two years back. The family was getting back home after visiting a hospital in RS Puram when they were knocked down head-on by three men on another bike, drunk and driving.

Narrating the shuddering incident Pavithra told DC that not wearing a helmet cost her parents over a week at the hospital. The family resided in Sowripalayam had they had to visit a neurologist at RS Puram for consultation. While the father and the daughter started from home together from Sowripalayam, the mother and son were already at RS Puram.

While getting back from the hospital, as it was untime and was difficult to get a bus, the family of four decided to get back home in their bike. As they were riding on the pot-holed, bumpy Puliyakulam- Sowripalayam road at 10.30 pm they were suddenly knocked down by three men who collided on them head-on from the opposite direction.

"The men were drunk and the one riding was had no control of the vehicle. The eye witnesses who watched us falling on the ground said that they had been riding haphazardly for over a kilometer jeopardizing the safety of the road users. It is very unfortunate that they had to come and hit us. All of us were injured and mom and dad were in the ICU for two days," she said.

"Had my dad been wearing a head gear his face and eyes would have been saved from the injuries for which he had to be admitted in a private hospital in Udayampalayam for over a week. So was the case with my mother who was riding pillion. She also suffered injuries in the face. Me and my brother who were also along with him had to get treated for minor injuries", she rued.

Ever since the accident occurred, mother P Devi has ensured that her husband and her daughter do not ride without a helmet. "The absence of a helmet cost us dearly. The treatment at the private hospital for the entire family burnt our pockets deep. The helmet enforcement should be successful and sustain for the larger good of the people , especially those who are unable to afford a car and have to commute in two wheelers", she said.