Bollywood actress and BJP MP Hema Malini, who got injured in a car crash in Rajasthan that killed a child, is doing "fine", doctors said on Friday, even as police arrested her driver for rash driving
Hema Malini
Jaipur: Bollywood actress and BJP MP Hema Malini, who got injured in a car crash in Rajasthan that killed a child, is doing "fine", doctors said on Friday, even as police arrested her driver for rash driving.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also read: Police arrest Hema Malini's driver after fatal accident
Veteran actress Hema Malini being rushed to a hospital in Jaipur after being injured in a road accident in Dausa. Pic/PTI
Hema Malini was injured near Dausa, over 50 km from here, when her car rammed into another car coming from the opposite direction, leaving a five-year-old child in that vehicle dead.
"She is fine and conscious. She is on liquid diet now," said Prateem Tamboli of Fortis Escorts Hospital here where she was admitted after the Thursday night accident.
"She is presently under our post operative intensive care unit," a hospital statement said. If her health continues to show improvement, she may be discharged on Friday, Tamboli said.
"It was confirmed she had laceration in paranasal area and on the forehead near the right eyebrow," a hospital statement said.
"A surgery of debridement and repair of lacerated wounds surgery was done post midnight. The two-hour surgery was done under general anaesthesia."
The car which met with an accident with Hema Malini's car. Pic/PTI
TV footage showed the actress bleeding on the forehead area above the right eye. There were five occupants in the Alto car--2 women, 2 children and a man, a Dausa district official said Dausa Collector Swaroop Panwar said a girl child in the Alto car died in the accident near Dausa Highway at 8.50 PM while two of the remaining survivors were seriously injured.
Two of the four injured were admitted to SMS hospital in Jaipur while two are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dausa, he said. Hema Malini, the BJP MP from Mathura, was proceeding to Jaipur from Mathura in her Mercedes Benz while the other vehicle was proceeding to Lalsot from Jaipur. Further details were awaited. The girl who died was identified as Sonam, aged four years.
One eyewitness who said he took Hema Malini to Jaipur in his car said she told him to drive fast as she was under great pain. She was bleeding on the forehead, above the eyebrow on the right side. "She has been hurt on the back, on her legs and on the forehead. Doctors checked her for internal injuries," he said.
Another eyewitness said the Alto car was entering the bypass road from a side road on the highway when the collision occurred. A police officer at the Fortis hospital said the star is currently doing fine and that the doctors have not spoken of any major injury to her.
Besides the driver and Hema Malini, two other persons were reported to be travelling with her in the star's luxury vehicle. Dr Shiv Sharma, physiotherapist in a private hospital, brought Hema and three others to Jaipur in his vehicle from the accident site. Pali MP, P P Chaudhary, said the actress was all right and fully conscious.
"She has received a minor injury and there is nothing to worry. It is a minor injury on the forehead. Doctors are going for all sorts of medical examination, including CT scan, they don't want to take any sort of risk. "She is fully conscious, she is all right," he said. Rajasthan minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat said, "A plastic surgeon is also part of the team of doctors headed by Dr Sandipan."
SP Dausa, Anshuman Bhomia said,"Five people were injured and out of them Sonam died. Sonam's mother and brother have been referred to SMS hospital."
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje expressed grief at the mishap. She tweeted:"Deeply saddened by the news of Dausa accident. I pray for the victims. We're making all efforts to provide immediate relief & medical care. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also tweeted: "Just heard the news of unfortunate motor accident of party colleague Smt. Hema Malini ji (@dreamgirlhema). Wishing her a speedy recovery. "My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family of the deceased baby girl."
Meanwhile, her daughter Esha Deol and son-in-law Bharat Takhtani have reached the Fortis hospital.
Her younger daughter Ahaana, who gave birth to a baby boy in June, won't be able to visit her mother, said Hema Malini's spokesperson.