Madanpura still in shock days after freak lift mishap

Even more than two days after the freak accident in which a 14-year-old boy and a driver died at Madanpura, the entire neighbourhood continues to be in a state of disbelief and still cannot come to terms with the tragedy.

The incident took place on Wednesday evening when Hafeez Patel, 14, and Javed Ahmed, 25, were in the car which crashed into the shaft and led to their death. The minor boy was reported to be at the wheel of the car and could not control its movement and crashed into the doors of the car lift and fell into the empty shaft.

People staying in the neighborhood still cannot believe that the young and cheerful boy is no more.

According to Mohammed Mustafa, who has a bread and egg stall in the neighbourhood said, “I didn’t know the family very well though I have seen the boy a few times and he was a very sweet child.” The vendor further said that it is unfortunate that such a thing has happened to the family and hope that they recover from the shock soon.

However, no one was being allowed inside the Iqbal Heights building where the accident took place, and the few persons who were standing at the gate said that the family does not wish to speak with anyone on this matter. The watchmen said that they have been instructed not to send anyone to the house of the minor boy.

Other persons in the area also said that they have heard about the incident. Although the people living nearby and the shopkeepers did not recall having met the family, they said they still feel sad that this accident took place. A local shop keeper, Iliyaz Bhai, said, “I didn’t know the family but I felt sad after hearing what had happened.” P Mohmmad, owner of a restaurant said though he was not acquainted with the family it is quite sad to hear what happened.

When queried on the case, Shivaji Kadam, senior inspector of Nagpada Police Station, said that they will get the car checked by experts from the RTO to know if the vehicle developed any kind of defect when it met with the accident. “We will also get the lift checked by a mechanic to see if it had developed any technical fault which may have led to the accident,” he added. The officer said that they are still in the process of getting statements from the family members of the boy since they have not recovered from the shock.