Mumbai: BMC truck runs over senior citizen outside J J Hospital

A BMC garbage truck mowed down a senior citizen who was on her way to a physiotherapy session to J J Hospital, on Monday morning. While 63-year-old Yasmin Punjwani was immediately rushed to J J Hospital by locals who witnessed the incident that took place near it, she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Yasmin Punjwani (inset) was crossing the road when she was run over outside Gate no 8 of J J Hospital

J J Marg police who rushed to the spot managed to catch hold of the driver and have filed an FIR against him. Punjwani stayed in Imamwada, close to J J Hospital along with her 73-year-old husband Chotubhai and used to help him decorate small toys, which they used to sell.

The incident took place at around 10.30 am when Punjwani was going for her scheduled physiotherapy session to J J Hospital. She had been undergoing physiotherapy for her legs after sustaining injuries in a fall.

As she had attended several sessions in the past, she wasn't accompanied by her husband and was crossing the road in front of the Accident and Casualty ward Gate Number 8 of the J J hospital when the incident took place.

A local shop owner who witnessed the accident said that the truck driver wasn't speeding but failed to stop when Punjwani suddenly came in front of the vehicle. "Suddenly there was a noise of brakes and several cries. The rear tyres of the truck had run over Punjwani, almost splitting her body into two pieces.

We immediately rushed her to the hospital and called J J Marg Police station which is barely a hundred metres away from the place of the incident," said the shop owner.

Dead on arrival
Punjwani was pronounced dead by the doctors in J J Hospital. "She had suffered severe head injuries. There were multiple injuries all over her body and her internal organs were severely damaged. There was little we could do to save her," said the attending doctor.

Chotubhai said that he lost his companion and also his business partner. "We used to sell toys for a living. While she would decorate the toys, I would sell them to our clients and that's how we earned our monthly allowance. Her sudden death has come as a huge shock for me and the family," said Chotubhai.

They have a daughter who stays in Vapi. A local social worker blamed the road parking for this incident and pointed out to the buses and tempos parked on both the sides of the road. "The parking on the road leaves the driver plying towards J J Hospital with no visibility.

Hence when the driver takes a left turn, he finds people crossing the road and there is little that he is able to do. It's high time that some action is taken before more lives are lost," said Habib Merchant, a social worker from Imamwada.

Cop speak
The investigating officer at J J Marg police station mentioned that the driver, identified as Mohammad Shamim Anwar Ali Shaikh (35) was booked under sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code, and will remain in custody.