A petrol station near Attibele on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border caught fire after a Jaguar car crashed into a fuel dispenser while being reversed, seriously injuring a station worker, police said. The driver and a woman travelling with him escaped, and no deaths were reported.
The incident took place on Wednesday night when Sanjay, a resident of Kudlu village, had gone to the station to fill the vehicle with fuel, according to a report by PTI published in Deccan Chronicle. Police said a station worker asked him to move the car slightly to park near the dispenser.
The driver allegedly put the vehicle in reverse but pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. The Jaguar then hit the fuel dispenser, triggering a fire that spread across the station, police said. The report did not specify the name of the fuel station or identify the injured worker.
Sanjay and his female friend immediately got out of the car and escaped, according to the police account. A station worker was seriously injured in the blaze and was reported to be receiving attention, although the supplied report did not provide details about the worker’s condition or treatment.
Fire engines from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were deployed to control the blaze. The location near Attibele, a major settlement and transport corridor close to the state border, required fire services from both states to respond, according to the report.
Petrol stations combine flammable fuel, vehicle movement and public access, making crashes around dispensers an immediate emergency risk. The incident also highlights the importance of rapid isolation of fuel systems and coordinated fire response when a fire spreads beyond the vehicle involved. The supplied report does not state whether the dispenser’s emergency shut-off system was activated or whether the station had sustained structural damage.
Attibele police took Sanjay into custody and began investigating the incident. Police have attributed the crash to the alleged accelerator-brake error, but the report does not say whether a formal case has been registered, whether the driver underwent medical examination or whether any technical inspection of the vehicle or fuel dispenser was completed.
The police investigation is expected to establish the sequence of the crash, assess the extent of the worker’s injuries and determine any further legal action. No additional casualties were reported in the supplied account.
