A 40-year-old woman teacher died after falling from a moving roadways bus in Sitapur district on Friday afternoon when she reportedly lost balance while standing near the door to spit out water, police said.
The deceased was identified as Vibha Gupta, a resident of Sarawagi Tola in Mahmoodabad and an assistant teacher at Government Girls Inter College in Pisawan. Police said she was physically challenged in her right hand and was unmarried.
The accident took place in Rampur Kalan police station area, around 42 km from the district headquarters, on the Biswan-Mahmoodabad road near Patti village.
According to police, Vibha had boarded a Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus (UP 34 AT 3998) from Mahmoodabad on Friday morning and was travelling to Sidhauli to visit relatives. She was seated near the front gate of the bus. At around 1.30 pm, after drinking water, she came near the bus door to spit outside while the bus was moving at high speed. Police said she could not hold the handle properly after the bus jerked, causing her to lose balance and fall onto the road.
“The conductor tried to catch her, but could not save her,” police said, adding that the impact caused severe head injuries and heavy bleeding. Panic broke out among passengers after the incident, following which the driver immediately stopped the bus and informed police.
A Dial-112 response team reached the spot and shifted the injured teacher to Community Health Centre, Pehla, in an ambulance, where doctors declared her dead.
Rampur Kalan station house officer Lalla Goswami said prima facie it appeared to be an accidental fall caused by loss of balance. “During the act of spitting out water, the woman suddenly lost balance and fell down. She suffered serious injuries and died. The family members have been informed. Passengers, the bus driver and conductor are also being questioned. Further action will be taken based on the family’s complaint and the investigation,” the officer said. Police have sent the body for postmortem examination and said all aspects of the incident are being probed.
