Hit-and-run victim dies, six days later
Six days after fighting for her life, a 25-year-old dentist of Mumbai's Nair Dental College, who was grievously injured in a hit-and-run accident at Marine Lines on March 24, passed away on Friday evening due to multiple organ failure. A senior doctor said that since the day of the accident, Dipali Lahamate was comatose and on ventilator.
“Despite being kept on the ventilator, there were no changes in her health condition. Before declaring her dead, we conducted certain tests after which she was declared brain dead,” said JJ Hospital doctors.
A senior doctor said Lahamate was also diagnosed with a subconjunctival haemorrhage, which results in bleeding in the space between the brain and tissues covering the brain along with middle cerebral artery (MCA) that leads to restricted blood supply and reduction in certain major brain functions. She had also sustained multiple fractures on her hands, shoulders and legs.
Lahamate was on her way to attend the MBBS graduation ceremony of her brother, Abhinay, who had completed his studies from JJ Hospital. “She was carrying a gift that she had prepared for Abhinay on the occasion. Being from a small village Rajur, Ahmednagar, and born to an anaesthetist father, she and her brother both were hardworking and had a strong urge to serve society,” said Lahamate’s fellow student, Pradyumna Khairnar.
Yazdi Driver, who witnessed the incident, claimed that the accused Shikha Jhaveri violated the green signal and ran over Lahamate on a zebra crossing. Jhaveri allegedly fled from the spot because her daughter sitting beside her panicked, Yazdi Driver mentioned in his statement to the Marine Drive Police Station.
Jhaveri, a teacher and Napeansea Road resident, ran over Lahamate at 3.30 pm on Saturday while the latter was crossing the road near Taraporewala Aquarium. Lahamate was rushed to the nearest Bhatia Hospital at 4.30 pm by an unknown car owner who was new to the city and could not navigate through traffic to locate the nearest hospital. On March 27, the family shifted Lahamate to JJ Hospital, owing to rising bills.