Indian Driver Crushed Between Buses At Auckland Depot

A twenty five year old Indian, Vivek Chugh, is fighting critical injuries after being caught between two buses during a break at  Māngere Town Centre.

Chugh, who arrived in New Zealand as a student in 2019 and has been working as a driver for GoBus for the past six months, was walking behind his parked bus when another bus driver reversed into him, trapping him between the vehicles.

Emergency services rushed to the Māngere Bus Station on Bader Drive, where the incident occurred, and Chugh was immediately taken to Middlemore Hospital in a grave condition.

His friend, Kunal Bhalla, was called to the hospital to assist after the incident. "The doctors said that his head and heart were fine, but his lower body was crushed and he needs immediate surgery," Bhalla told The Indian Weekender.

"The operation has been ongoing since this morning, and the situation remains uncertain," he added.

Chugh's roommate, Shresth Malhotra, also arrived at the hospital upon hearing about his friend's condition. "It's just him and I living here in New Zealand. The rest of his family is in India, and they don't know what's happened. We're currently waiting for a meeting with GoBus to review the incident on their CCTV footage to understand what truly happened," Malhotra said.

The spokesperson of Kinetic, the largest provider of bus services in Auckland, told the Indian Weekender that they are working with the police and worksafe to determine the cause of the incident.

"We are providing close support to our driver, his family, and his colleagues during this difficult time", the spokesperson added.

Kunal has been in touch with Chugh's family about the incident and is arranging their visas so they can visit their son and check on his condition.

Originally from Muktsar, Punjab, Chugh left his family and moved to New Zealand in 2019, joining his friend Shresth, who had moved a year earlier for study and better opportunities.

Chugh took up multiple jobs before obtaining his open work visa. GoBus has not yet commented on the aftermath of the incident.

                   This article has been revised to include a statement from a spokesperson for Kinetic.