RANIPET: Ranipet Collector S Valarmathi turned a good Samaritan when a small van carrying school students met with an accident in Kaveripakkam panchayat union on Friday morning.

The Omni van with seven children lost control while turning a curve and landed in a ditch. Collector Valarmathi was returning from Pudupet and was on her way to Ponnappanthangal village when the accident happened in front of her vehicle.

The presence of heavy foliage prevented the vehicle from capsizing and injuring the students. Valarmathi immediately and ran to the rescue of the children. She also sent them to the school five kilometres away by the district PRO’s official vehicle.

Later, officials, who accompanied the collector stopped a mini lorry that came that way and used it to pull the capsized vehicle out of the ditch.

The school owner also arrived at the spot and the collector left after advising the driver to not drive fast.