Accident victim remembered as a kind-hearted mechanic who loved driving

For Amit Kumar, driving was more than a way of getting from one place to another. It was a passion he had carried from a young age.

The 46-year-old mechanic from Ellington Wharf Road, Rakiraki, died on Monday afternoon after a bus veered into his lane and collided head-on with his vehicle at Naqoro.

“He was a mechanic who loved driving. It was his passion,” his cousin Rajesh Kumar, 49, said.

“He was a kind-hearted guy and had great relationships. He was well known in the surrounding villages.”

Rajesh said Amit would also be missed by staff at Volivoli Beach Resort, where he had worked for about three years.

The funeral was likely to be held later this week following the post-mortem examination.

Police said Mr Kumar was driving along Naqoro when a bus driven by a 51-year-old man veered into his lane, resulting in the head-on collision.

“The victim was rushed to the Rakiraki Hospital where medical officials confirmed his death,” police said in a statement yesterday.

The passengers travelling in the bus and a 29-year-old woman travelling in Amit’s vehicle were treated and discharged from Rakiraki Hospital.

The bus driver remains admitted to hospital.

The national road death toll currently stands at 38, compared with 51 for the same period last year.