Van carrying pupils veers off Gaushala Road; CCTV shows passersby aiding children
Four schoolchildren escaped without injuries after a private van transporting them to a Ghaziabad school hit a roadside tree and then fell about 4–5 feet onto a service road in Vijay Nagar on Thursday morning, local police and media reports said.
The vehicle, a Maruti Eeco bearing registration DL12CJ8912, was en route to DAV Public School, Pratap Vihar (Sector 12) along Gaushala Road when the driver lost control near Sen Chowk at about 7.30 am, according to reporting by the Times of India and statements quoted by the Vijay Nagar police.
Vijay Nagar SHO Dharampal Singh said the four children — estimated to be around 13–14 years old — were taken to school immediately after the incident and later reunited with their families. The officer told reporters the van had not been provided by the school; instead, transport was organised jointly by the pupils' family members.
"Near Sen Chowk, the driver lost control and first collided with a tree and then landed 4–5 feet below on the service road," Vijay Nagar SHO Dharampal Singh was reported as saying.
Driver cites pedal mistake; CCTV captured the rescue
The driver, identified as Lakhan, 35, told police he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, which caused the vehicle to swerve off the road and strike the tree, media reports said. Footage from a nearby CCTV camera shows passersby rushing to the scene to assist the children shortly after the crash.
Police personnel questioned the driver, a resident of Crossings Republik, and released him later in the day after no formal complaint was filed, the SHO said, according to the report.
Immediate issues raised for Ghaziabad parents and regulators
While no injuries were recorded in this instance, the incident highlights several persistent concerns for Ghaziabad residents: the safety standards of privately arranged student transport, the need for verified fitness and training for drivers, and the condition of roadside barriers and protection on busy local stretches such as Gaushala Road.
- Transport arrangements: The van was reportedly arranged by parents rather than provided by the school.
- Driver credentials and vehicle fitness: Questions arise over driver training and vehicle maintenance when private or ad-hoc conveyances are used.
- Road safety infrastructure: The drop from the main carriageway to the service road where the vehicle landed underlines the hazard posed by unprotected edges and trees close to traffic lanes.
A summary of the incident is shown below.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Time | About 7.30 am |
| Location | Gaushala Road near Sen Chowk, Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad |
| Vehicle | Maruti Eeco (DL12CJ8912) |
| Occupants | Four children (aged ~13–14); driver Lakhan (35) |
| Reported cause | Driver said he pressed accelerator instead of brake; vehicle hit tree then fell onto service road |
| Casualties | None; children handed to family members |
Local residents and parents in Ghaziabad said the episode serves as a reminder to verify the arrangements used to ferry children to schools. The press report noted that the school management did not respond to requests for comment.
Police said they would record statements and proceed if any formal complaints are filed. Meanwhile, the footage from the CCTV camera that captured the incident has been used by authorities to reconstruct the sequence of events, the report added.
The episode comes amid heightened scrutiny across Uttar Pradesh and other Indian cities over the safety of student transport, where a mix of formal school buses, privately hired vans and parent-arranged vehicles operate on the same routes each morning.
