Russian national Maria Kostenevskaya, 33, not only escaped death miraculously but also emerged from the wreckage on her own, walked up to an ambulance where she was given tea and biscuits, before being carted to a nearby hospital.
Kostenevskaya, who works as a translator, was one of the few who survived. She has fractured her right hand. Lying in a bed in Talati Hospital in Khed, Kostenevskaya regrets having missed her train to Mumbai on Monday night, which forced her to board the bus.
While describing the incident, Kostenevskaya told Dr Upendra Talati, the surgeon treating her, that she was in deep sleep when the incident happened. The impact of the fall woke her up. Initially, she could not comprehend what had happened, as it was still very dark.
She heard people crying in pain and screaming for help. She tried to pull herself out but could not do so as the mangled remains of the bus held her back for almost an hour. Finally, she extricated herself, walked out and spotted an ambulance on the road. Locals could not understand what she was saying, but they gave her tea and water. She then sat in the ambulance and reached the hospital.
Kostenevskaya came to India just about ten days ago and toured different places. After landing in Delhi she visited Goa and then went to Kanyakumari. Spending a few days there she visited Udipi and then she came to Goa. On Monday, she missed the train Mumbai.
Dr Talati said, “When Maria was brought to the hospital, she was very worried. She has a humeral fracture — an injury to the upper arm bone. We did a basic management because by the time we started the treatment we received calls from the Russian diplomatic offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.
The officials there wanted the patient to be shifted to a Mumbai hospital for further treatment. The patient will need a surgery. Once we get an ambulance, we will discharge her.”
@Santosh_Andhale
