Chandigarh:
India's much-derided potholes – which have caused everything from annoyance and annoyance to injuries and even deaths – proved to be a literal lifesaver for an 80-year-old man from Haryana on Thursday, his family claims.
The 'body' of Darshan Singh Brar, declared dead by doctors, was being brought from Patiala to his home near Karnal, where grieving relatives had gathered, food had been laid out and wood had been collected for his funeral, when the ambulance in a hole drove. .
Brar's family said his grandson, who was in the ambulance with him, saw him moving his hand and, when he felt a heartbeat, asked the ambulance driver to go to the nearest hospital. The doctors there declared him alive.
The 80-year-old heart patient is now being treated at a hospital in Karnal where his condition is critical. The family considers the incident a miracle and now hopes for a speedy recovery.
Despair for hope
One of Brar's grandsons, Balwan Singh, said the 80-year-old lived in Nising near Karnal, where an entire colony was named after him. Brar had not been well for a few days and Balwan Singh's brother took him to a hospital near his home in Patiala for treatment.
Balwan said his grandfather was on a ventilator for four days and on Thursday morning doctors said his heartbeat had stopped. He was taken off life support and pronounced dead.
“My brother in Patiala informed us about our grandfather's death around 9am on Thursday, and he took him in an ambulance to Nising (about 100 km away) for his last rites. We had informed our relatives and other locals who knew him and they had already gathered to mourn his death. A tent had been set up and food had also been arranged for the mourners. We also had wood for the cremation,” Balwan said on Friday.
When the ambulance was near Dhand village in Haryana's Kaithal, it hit a pothole hard and Balwan's brother noticed that Brar had moved his hand. Surprised, he checked for a heartbeat and when he felt one, he took the 80-year-old to a nearby hospital.
The family said doctors at the hospital confirmed that Brar was alive and breathing and then referred him to a hospital in Nising, from where he was taken to NP Rawal Hospital in Karnal.
“It is a miracle. Now we hope that my grandfather recovers quickly. Everyone who had gathered to mourn his death congratulated us and we asked them for the food we had arranged. It is God's grace that he is now breathing and we I hope he gets better,” he said.
'Critical, but breathable'
Dr. Netrapal of Rawal Hospital said, “We cannot say that the patient had died. When he was brought to us, he was breathing and had both blood pressure and pulse. We don't know what happened at the other hospital, whether it was a technical error or something else.”
“The family said he was on ventilator for four days in Patiala but he is now breathing on his own. He is still critical and in intensive care. Breathing is difficult because he has an infection in his chest,” the doctor added.