An Accident I Saw
1
Last summer, my cousin Rahul came from another city to spend his holidays with us. During his stay, I took him to several popular places around our city. Then, one Sunday, just a few days before he was due to leave, we decided to visit the zoo.
The easiest way to get there was by bus. As we were walking towards the bus stop, we noticed a man riding a bicycle down the slope of a flyover. His wife was sitting on the carrier and their young son was seated in a small child seat at the front.
Suddenly, the cyclist tried to avoid another rider who was coming from the wrong side of the road. In the process, he found himself directly in the path of an autorickshaw approaching from the opposite direction. The driver applied the brakes immediately, but he could not stop in time. The rickshaw hit the bicycle and the woman and child were thrown onto the road.
The rickshaw driver quickly stepped out and rushed to help. He first picked up the little boy, who was crying loudly. Fortunately, he did not appear to be seriously injured. The cyclist had also fallen, but he managed to get up without much difficulty. He hurried to his wife, who was lying on the road in pain. She could not stand without support. When she tried to put weight on her leg, she cried out in pain. It seemed that her leg was either badly sprained or fractured. The driver kindly offered to take the family to the nearest hospital. I was standing some distance away when the accident happened.
By the time my cousin and I reached the spot, the injured family was preparing to leave for the hospital. A small crowd had gathered and someone offered to inform the cyclist’s relatives about the incident.
After witnessing the accident, my cousin said he no longer felt like visiting the zoo. I felt the same way. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around quietly, talking about the accident and other matters until it was time to return home.
2
The accident I am about to describe happened one evening when I went out for a walk. I had been studying for several hours and was feeling tired and restless. I could not concentrate on my Maths problems or continue learning my language lessons. Noticing this, my mother advised me to take a short walk and return with a fresh mind.
Since there is very little open space in our residential area, I decided to walk along the main road nearby. Although it is a busy highway, there is a broad footpath where people can walk safely. As I walked, I watched cars, buses, and motorcycles moving quickly along the road. A short distance ahead was a flyover. I never imagined I would witness such a frightening scene.
It was getting dark, and vehicle headlights had started to shine. A fast-moving SUV came down the flyover close to the central divider. At that very moment, an elderly man suddenly stepped onto the road. Because of the dim light and the bushes near the divider, the driver did not see him immediately. He tried to brake and turn away, but there was no time.
The vehicle struck the old man, and he fell onto the road. A truck behind the SUV could not stop in time and crashed into it. The SUV skidded and hit a lamp-post, while the truck overturned and spilled its load across the highway.
People quickly gathered around. A traffic policeman arrived, called an ambulance, and helped control the situation. I watched for a few minutes before returning home. Thankfully, the old man and both drivers suffered only minor injuries. The incident left me shocked and reminded me of the importance of road safety.
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