Five percussionists hurt as car ploughs into procession

Accident after learner presses accelerator instead of brake

Five percussionists were injured, including one who fractured his foot, when a car was accidentally driven into the tail end of a procession of the students of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on Friday around 5 p.m.

The students of the post-matric hostel, Sagar, on the Cusat campus had taken out the procession in connection with Onam celebrations.

The incident occurred when the procession reached near Sahara hostel where B.Tech students stay.

A percussion band of over 20 members hired for the event was at the tail end of the procession when a car driven by a man probably in his 50s, drove right into them.

‘Enough room for traffic’

“The procession was being carried out, leaving enough room for facilitating the traffic. The car, which was being driven slowly, suddenly revved up and ran into the percussionists, throwing a section of them off their feet. Had not the drums carried by the percussionists absorbed the impact of the collision, it could have even turned fatal,” said K.V. Prajil, a student of B.Tech ship-building technology.

According to the police, the man behind the wheel had just learned driving and was driving around to brush up his skills when he came across the procession. He claimed to have pressed the accelerator instead of the brake in his anxious state, the police said.

The injured were taken to the Government Medical College Hospital at Kalamasserry where one of the injured was diagnosed with a fractured feet.

Others suffered minor injuries. The police said that they had not registered a case as no complaint was lodged by the injured.

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