MUMBAI: A six-year-old boy and his nine-year-old sister died after a truck rammed into them and their family members on Western Express Highway, at Dahisar, on Thursday evening.
The boy, Akash Gupta, had celebrated his birthday six days ago. The truck also crashed into the barrier before halting. Bystanders caught hold of the driver, Shyamsunder Saroj, and thrashed him before handing him over to the police.
Akash and his sister, Ashika, were beside an autorickshaw while their elder sister, Akruti (11), helped their parents, Pravendra and Dharmsheela, to load their luggage into the vehicle. Back from a trip to Punjab, they had alighted at Borivli railway station and were on their way home to Vasai by road. Pravendra, an autorickshaw driver, had asked his friend, Deepak Gupta, to bring his auto to pick them up.
Around 4.15 pm, just when the family of five was to get into the rickshaw, a truck came hurtling down the national park flyover. “The vehicle came out of nowhere. Before I had time to think, my wife and kids were already under the truck’s wheels,” said Pravendra, who suffered leg injuries. He added that the truck also rammed into a stall.
Deepak, who was inside his auto and was unhurt, helped Dharmsheela into the back seat and rushed her to Bhagwati Hospital, Borivli. But she was denied admission. He then took her to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital at Kandivli where Pravendra brought his three children in another rickshaw. The three children had blood all over.
Akash and Ashika were pronounced dead while Akruti has been admitted to ICCU with critical injuries to her head and face. Dharmsheela has been slipping in and out of consciousness.
“My whole world has come crashing down,” said Pravendra. “I haven’t told my wife and Akruti about the death of the two younger children. I fear they will take it badly,” he said, adding that he wanted the strictest possible punishment for Saroj. “We have learnt that Saroj threw up after bystanders caught hold of him. The police must check if he was drunk,” Deepak said.
Saroj was arrested and was produced before a magistrate’s court at Borivli on Friday.
