14 May,2014 07:15 AM IST | | Ankoor Anvekar
The 36-year-old had gone with her children to visit her brother, and was on her way to visit another relative there; the auto rickshaw, which her brother was driving, collided head-on with a truck
Both daughters Nishmita (right) and Manisha and their uncle were killed on the spot
A trip to their native place turned tragic for a Thane-based couple, after they lost their two children and a relative, and the mother was left paralysed from the waist down following a major accident near Mangalore, Karnataka on Monday morning.
Srinath Kulal (left) fainted when he heard of his wife and daughters' accident. His friends managed to revive him and put him on a flight to Mangalore
The mother and her two young daughters were visiting their native place in Ulaibettu near Vamanjoor, and had left from the city around a week ago.
Both daughters Nishmita (right) and Manisha and their uncle were killed on the spot
Savitha Kulal (36) along with her two daughters, Nishmita (11) and Manisha (9), had gone to Mangalore to meet her brother Sunil (24), who works as a rickshaw driver. On Monday, they were on their way to meet a relative at Mukka, a suburb of Mangalore, when an oncoming truck rammed head-on into the rickshaw that Sunil was driving.
Such was the impact that the mangled vehicle got lodged into the frontal portion of the truck. Locals immediately informed the police, who arrested the driver.
Tragedy in the morning
An officer from Surathkal police station said, "The incident took place around 10.30 am. The impact of the collision was such that the rickshaw got trapped in the front part of the truck, killing the two children and the woman's brother on the spot."
The police had to bring in a crane in order to rescue the woman trapped inside the debris. The four were immediately shifted to a nearby private hospital in Mukka, where the three were declared brought dead.
Savitha's husband Srinath Kulal (35) was in their Thane residence when the incident took place. He owns a few small shops and runs a tea stall in Jambhali Naka market in Thane.
"His relatives called him at around 12 pm on Monday, after which he fainted. We managed to revive him, booked him on an afternoon flight to Mangalore and sent him there with one of his associates," said Usman Sheikh, a close friend of Srinath.
Mohan, a relative of the family, told mid-day that Savitha has been shifted to a private hospital in Mangalore city for better treatment. Her condition is critical and she has been paralysed from the waist down due to the injuries sustained in the mishap.
Srinath lived with his wife and two daughters in Thane's Kharkar Ali market area; he had been living in Thane for 25 years. Meanwhile, the police have arrested the truck driver Parmeshwar; he is in custody at the Surathkal police station.
