Yangyel Lhaden

Two women De-Suups were critically injured in a freak accident yesterday, and are undergoing treatment at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH).

One of the De-Suups, a 25-year old woman is in the intensive care unit and a 33-year-old woman is at the emergency unit, as of last night.

They were hit by a Bolero pick-up truck at a four-way junction near the old Bank of Bhutan building in Babesa, Thimphu yesterday at around 5pm. The Bolero was parked about 100 metres above the site of the accident when the driver who was not in the vehicle lost control. An eyewitness said that the driver had parked his vehicle on a slope with a stone placed under the tyre to hold the vehicle. “The driver started the vehicle and came out of the vehicle to remove the stone and before he could get in, the vehicle ran down the road,” he said.

The two women were hit when they were crossing the road. The 25-year-old woman, after the vehicle hit her, rolled over the road and hit her head on a manhole, an eyewitness said.

Emergency Specialist with JDWNRH, Dr Sona Pradhan said that the 25-year-old woman suffered polytrauma or multi-trauma. She had a fracture in the neck, pelvic bone, cervical spine, multiple rib fracture, multiple lung injury and a severe cut in the skull bone. “She is breathing with the help of a ventilator,” she said.

The 33-year-old woman complained of chest pain due to lung injury and all her vital organs were fine, according to the doctor.

Meanwhile, a Babesa resident residing near the accident spot said that the accident area is an accident-prone area without traffic signals, zebra crossing or speed breakers.

“If there was a speed breaker or a no parking signpost, it would have prevented this accident. It’s critical to have traffic signals at junctions,” she said adding that the area has become busy.

The case is being investigated. Kuensel couldn’t contact traffic police.