CM escapes unhurt in car accident at Ettumanur

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had an extraordinary tryst with destiny when he escaped almost unhurt after his car skidded off the SH No.1 at Pallippady, an accident-prone curve near Kanakkari off Ettumanur.

According to Kurvavilangad police, the front right hand side tyre was found burst.

While Mr. Chandy received minor injuries on his lips when his face hit the back of the front seat, his gunman Ashokan received injuries in his arms. Later, Mr. Chandy told media persons that a major accident was averted since he was wearing the seat belt. He was asleep when the accident occurred.

The accident occurred at around 2.45 a.m. on Sunday, the police said. Mr. Chandy continued his journey in one of the escort vehicles to Kottayam and took rest at the Government Guest House, Nattakom. A team of doctors from Kottayam Government Medical College attended on him.

The Chief Minister proceeded to his ancestral house at Puthuppally and attended a mass at St. George Cathedral, his home parish at 7 a.m. before moving on to the daily routine which included more than half a dozen inaugurations and stone laying ceremonies.

According to the police, the car skidded off the road, its left wheels fell into an open drainage and the vehicle hit the boundary wall of a private house.

The police have registered a case.

Mr. Chandy had a major accident more than nine years ago in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum summit.

He had skidded on the ice while coming out of a hotel after a dinner meeting with Saudi businessmen in the night of January 27, 2006.

He suffered a fracture on his hip bone and was operated upon. After taking over as Chief Minister for the second time, Mr. Chandy had suffered a heart condition on January 12, 2014, when he was admitted to the Kottayam Government Medical College.