18-year-old girl dies in a road accident in Virar

An eighteen-year-old college girl was crushed under the wheel of a water tanker on Saturday morning in Virar (west) near Rustomjee Cambridge International School and Junior College while returning home on scooty. She has recently returned to Mumbai to live with her maternal uncle from Bahrain.

The victim Zaida Tasneem Shaikh, resident of Global city, was returning from old Viva college when the water tanker hit her from front and she came under the rear wheel of water-filled tanker that came to supply water in Global City.

"She got thrown away from her scooty and her head came under the wheel of water-tanker. Her head got crushed and died on the spot. All of us rushed to see what happened after hearing the accident and meanwhile the driver managed to escape leaving his vehicle behind," said an eyewitness.

Arnala police have seized the water tanker which the driver left abandoned hardly few metres away from the accident spot. "The accident took place between 9-9:30 am. She was not wearing the helmet. We are checking whether she was riding alone or a pillion was seated on her scooty. We are scrutinising the footage of CCTV cameras installed at nearby shops and recording the statements of eyewitnesses. The accused driver is absconding but he has been identified and will be arrested by tonight," said the investigating officer PSI Abhijeet Patil.

A case under sections 304 (a), 279, 336, 337 of IPC and 187 of MV Act has been registered at Arnala police station. The body was sent to Agashi government hospital, Virar. "There were multiple fractures all over her skull and body. She bled through her nose, ears and mouth due to inter-cranial haemorrhage. The girl died due to poly-trauma due to road accident," hospital in-charge Dr. Rugved R. Dudhat told Mid-Day.

"Shaikh lived with her maternal uncle. She returned to Mumbai after one-month vacation at Bahrain. She was very ambitious but everything is finished now," said her father Feroze Shaikh, who further added, "Whole day water tanker drivers create chaos by over-speeding and rough driving in the residential complex but no one is here to stop them." Her mother was not in a condition to talk. The relatives and neighbours gathered at her house for condolence.

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