Thiruvananthapuram: Top Kerala bureaucrat Dr V Venu and his family members had a narrow escape in a car accident on the highway recently.

Dr V Venu, who is the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, now says the injuries he suffered in the accident are the big price he had to pay for the small mistake of not wearing the seatbelt properly. He had to undergo two surgeries.

“I had not worn the seat belt properly. The part of the belt over my chest was pulled up indolently. Had I worn it properly, I would have escaped without a bruise. No one should make this mistake,” he said while talking to Manorama about the accident.

“Though it was a major accident, the injuries were minimal only because of the seat belt. Nevertheless, I got punished for not wearing the belt properly. Those in the front escaped as the airbags blew up,” he said.

In the accident that happened three weeks ago at Kayamkulam, Venu, his wife Sarada Muraleedharan, IAS, and their son were injured among others.

He is slowly recovering from the injuries and plans to start checking the files from home from next week. His wife Sharadha, who too is an Additional Chief Secretary, and their son too are recovering.

"I learnt one more lesson from this accident – that is to avoid night travel as much as possible," Dr Venu added.

Venu and his family members are now at their house in Thiruvananthapuram after treatment. His gunman and friends escaped without any injuries.

There were 7 travellers in the car when the accident happened.

“I am not attending phone calls as I still have some difficulty speaking. We are not allowing visitors for the fear of infection. Sharadha requires complete rest for a longer time as she has fractured her ribs,” he said.