This accident happened on April 10, 2015. Around 10 AM, I was going to the office on my bike. It was near the flyover in Lingarajapuram, Bangalore. I was coming down from the flyover, and there was a cyclist, a 17–18-year-old boy, just going ahead of me. Suddenly, without signaling, he turned right and came in front of my bike. I tried very hard to put on the brakes, but it still touched his bicycle and he fell. He fell on his right hand. I stopped my bike and pulled it to the side. A lot of people gathered immediately. I asked the boy if he was fine. He said he was fine, but he had some pain in his right hand. I decided to take the boy to nearby hospital. I asked him to park his bicycle there and come with me on my bike.
Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
We went a to nearby small hospital. Doctors checked him. Doctor told me that it looked like a fracture, but they needed to take some x-rays and then only they would be able to decide. It was a small clinic. They did not have x-ray facilities there. The doctor asked him how the accident happened and asked me also who I am. She asked me also about the accident. I told her the complete story of how it all happened and how I was just trying to help this boy. She suggested that I take him to a nearby government hospital. She said treatment would be very costly here. So, it would be better to take him to the government hospital only.
We went to the government hospital. The doctor checked him and asked to take an x-ray. After x-ray, they found that there was a major fracture in his hand. For now, they would put plaster on it and later they would need to operate. They admitted him to the hospital.
He called his father. His father was a loading auto driver. This boy came from lower middle-class family. He had just completed his schooling, and it was his summer vacation before going to college. To help his family, he started working as a helper at a shop. That morning he was on his way to work when this accident happened. I felt very bad for the boy and his family. For me too, this was the first time I had been in such a situation. I usually drive slowly, even not going beyond 40 kmph. But it was a bad day for me and this boy as well.
Meanwhile his family came and started demanding some money for his treatment. I didn’t have any money with me. I called one of my office friends and asked him to bring 10,000 rupees. He came in a short while, and I gave that 10,000 rupees to his family, as I did not want to go to the police.
Though it wasn’t my mistake at all, you still need to go through lot of processes. So, I thought, I would take care of this boy’s treatment. After giving money to his family, I went to work. I was still very tense. Not able to clearly think of what I should do. I called one of my known lawyers and asked him also what to do. He also told me that there is a long process. My bike would be seized for some days, and then there would be a court case. My bike would only be released after paying a fine and getting a court order. So, he suggested it would be better to settle this out of court.
The next day, I went again and met the boy and his family. They informed me that the doctors would operate the next day to fix the fracture. They would put an iron plate along with the bones, as fracture was major.
I was kind of scared about what would happen now. They asked for some more money, as it was a critical situation. I paid them another 10,000 rupees. After that, I could not visit for 2-3 days. In the meantime, the operation was over. He was there for observation for a few more days. Then I visited them one more time. They asked for some more money, as there were medicines and other day-to-day expenses.
Finally, I paid some more money, and I was kind of frustrated. So, I decided not to visit them anymore. I told them the same. It was a kind of unforgettable accident. I paid a good amount of money to these people, even though I wasn’t at fault. But this was a lesson also for me. I used to always have tight hand whenever it was to help some poor. So, this accident was a lesson for me. If you don’t help poor when they need it, hold the money with teeth, some, or other day it will go in this way only. So, it’s better to keep helping people as and when you get the opportunity. Also, shouldn’t be afraid to going to police if you aren’t at fault at all.