17 DEC 2014, Kathmandu - Ninth-grader Sneha Shah was knocked down by a bus on a zebra crossing in Tinkune, Kathmandu, on Sunday afternoon. She feels lucky to have survived the accident when so many others are dying on the road on a daily basis. On hospital bed, Shah asks the government to build speed breakers at allocated pedestrian crossings.Manish Gautam spoke to her:
It was 3pm and our class was over for the day. We all hurried home. The way leading to the Koteshwor-Tinkune road is a few minutes’ walk from our school. It had been raining and the streets were waterlogged. We reached the road near Tinkune Bridge. I was accompanied by four of my friends. Usually we take the route beneath the bridge to cross the road. The rain had made it impossible for us to reach the other side along the dirt-track.
At the zebra crossing, I walked across with a friend while the others stopped by the roadside for a chat. My friend outpaced me while I paused to let a speeding micro-bus pass. I used my left hand to gesture to vehicles to stop as I stepped up to the other side. A bus came so fast that I failed to notice it. It hit me and I remember nothing thereafter. My father was told by the police that I was thrown flying into the traffic island built during the Saarc Summit. I am lucky to survive the incident. Doctors have said I am doing well and my body is responding to treatment. On many such occasions, the police or some volunteers helped us across. On Sunday, there was no one to assist. The government should build speed breakers near zebra crossings so that pedestrians can pass fearlessly. It pays to have someone to assist the people in crossing the road. It’s me today. Tomorrow it can be anyone. And they may not be as lucky as I was.
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