Chandigarh: 

India’s much-derided potholes – which have caused everything from annoyance and exasperation to injuries and even deaths – turned out to be a literal lifesaver for an 80-year-old man from Haryana on Thursday, his family has claimed.

Declared dead by doctors, the “body” of Darshan Singh Brar was being taken from Patiala to his home near Karnal, where mourning relatives had gathered, food had been laid out and wood had been collected for his funeral, when the ambulance hit a pothole.

Brar’s family said his grandson, who was with him in the ambulance, noticed him moving his hand and, on sensing a heartbeat, asked the ambulance driver to head to the nearest hospital. The doctors there declared him alive.

The 80-year-old heart patient is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Karnal, where his condition is said to be critical. The family has hailed the incident as a miracle and are now hoping for a speedy recovery.

Despair To Hope

My brother in Patiala informed us around 9 am on Thursday about our grandfather’s death, and he was getting him to Nising (roughly 100 km away) in an ambulance for his last rites. We had informed our relatives and other local residents who knew him and they had already gathered to mourn his passing. A tent had been set up and food had also been arranged for the mourners. We had also got 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. Amazed, he checked for a heartbeat and, on sensing one, took the 80-year-old to a hospital nearby