COIMBATORE: A 69-year-old school van driver saved the lives of several children by safely halting his vehicle on a flyover here seconds before succumbing to a heart attack on Thursday.The driver, identified as S Shanmugasundaram of Mahakavi Nagar in Irugur, was transporting students home from a private matriculation higher secondary school near Singanallur.Around 4.30pm, while navigating the railway overbridge on the Irugur – Ondipudur Road, Shanmugasundaram suffered a severe chest pain. Recognising the immediate danger to the children, he managed to reduce the vehicle’s speed and manoeuvred the van towards the parapet of overbridge. The van came to a halt after a light impact with the parapet.Other motorists who witnessed the crash rushed to render aid, only to find the driver unresponsive. On being alerted, a 108 ambulance was sent to the spot. Ambulance medical personnel checked Shanmugasundaram and declared him dead.
