21 February,2014 08:11 AM IST | | Richa Pinto
After taking discharge from Vashi NMMC hospital against medical advice, the injured woman was on her way to Chennai in an ambulance when she passed away
Two days after a BEST bus mowed down a couple in Vashi on Monday night, killing the husband, the wife passed away in the ambulance that was taking her back to her hometown in Chennai. 50-year-old Katai Kaundal died during the journey on Wednesday while her husband, Nadeshan (55), had breathed his last on Monday, a few hours after the accident.
Katai Kundal was receiving medical treatment at NMMC Hospital after her accident on Monday night
This was their first visit to Mumbai and had only arrived here to persuade their runaway son to return home. Their youngest son, Srinivas (20), had left Chennai for Mumbai a fortnight ago after a bitter argument with his parents.
While Nadeshan succumbed to his injuries after reaching the hospital post the accident, his wife was receiving treatment for head and leg injuries at NMMC Hospital in Vashi. But, citing difficulties in understanding the local language, the family members decided to shift Katai to a hospital in Chennai.
MiD DAY's report on the accident
Rajendiran P, a family member, said, "We decided to take the body of my uncle in an ambulance to Chennai, so that his last rites could be performed there. We also took the decision to take my aunt in the same ambulance.
Getting my aunt treated here in Navi Mumbai was not a good idea; we thought that since she spoke only Tamil, she might not be able to communicate her ailments to the hospital staff, in case we were not around. However, the travel probably cost her her life."
Doctors at the hospital were shocked after learning that Katai had passed away. Dr P Jawade, medical superintendent, NMMC Hospital, said that at 3.30 pm on Tuesday the relatives got her discharged from the hospital against medical advice.
"The woman had suffered injuries on her left leg and head. When she was discharged, she was conscious and her condition was not critical," said Jawade. The deceased couple's last rites would be performed together, said the relatives. "Their son Srinivas has also returned to Tamil Nadu and is grief-stricken with the turn of events. He is blaming himself for the deaths, saying it was because of him that they came to Mumbai," added the relative.
