Rishabh Pant suffered a horrific accident on Friday morning while driving his Mercedes Benz from Delhi to Dehradun. His car caught fire after hitting a fence. Pant was lucky to get out of the car in time, although he suffered a laceration to his right knee and cuts above his forehead. His condition is stable. A Haryana Roadways bus driver named Sushil Mann was one of the people who pulled cricketer Rishabh Pant from the Mercedes SUV after it crashed. Mann said he did not know who the injured man was and acted quickly to arrange for an ambulance.
Haryana Roadways later honored Sushil, PTI news agency reported. “We gave them a thank you letter and a shield in our office when they returned to Panipat,” Haryana Roadways Panipat depot general manager Kuldeep Jangra told PTI.
VVS Laxman, former India batsman and current NCA head, praised Sushil. “Gratitude to #SushilKumar, a driver from Haryana Roadways who took #RishabhPant out of the burning car, wrapped him in a sheet and called the ambulance. We are deeply indebted to you for your selfless service, Sushil ji #RealHero,” Laxman wrote in a tweet.
“Also special mention to the bus conductor, Paramjit who helped along with Driver Sushil Rishabh. Very grateful to these selfless guys who had great presence of mind and big heart. Gratitude to them and everyone who helped,” he wrote in another tweet .
Also special mention to the bus conductor, Paramjit who helped along with Driver Sushil Rishabh. Very thankful for these selfless guys who had a great presence of mind and a big heart. Gratitude to them and everyone who helped. pic.twitter.com/FtNnoLKowg
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) December 30, 2022
Sushil Mann, the bus driver, told DailyExpertNews that the SUV was coming from the opposite direction at high speed and hit the barrier.
“I pulled over my bus and ran quickly to the dividing line,” said Mr Mann.
“I thought the car was going to smash under the bus as it kept turning around before stopping,” he said. “The driver (Mr Pant) was half out of the window. He told me he’s a cricketer,” said Mr Mann, adding that the cricketer asked him to call his mother, whose phone was switched off.
“I don’t watch cricket and I didn’t know this is Rishabh Pant. But others on my bus recognized him,” said Mr Mann.
“After removing Rishabh, I quickly searched the car to see if anyone was still there. I took his blue bag and Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 rupees from the car and gave them to him in the ambulance,” he said.
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