Girl crushed by Gulmohar tree, fractures her spine

In yet another rain-related incident, a 20-year-old girl and her five relatives sustained serious injuries after a huge Gulmohar tree was uprooted by the gusty wind and fell on them at Dadar’s Ram Maruti Road near Shivaji Park on Saturday.

Shreya Raut, a second-year engineering student and the daughter of former Sena Shakha head Bharat Raut, has sustained severe spinal injury and is undergoing treatment at Hinduja Hospital. The other relatives – Ajay Raut, Jyoti Raut, Kamlakar Raut and Adhishree Raut – sustained minor injuries and have been discharged.

The impact of the fall was somewhat cushioned by a car.

According to Shreya's father, "The incident occurred on Saturday night around 9.37 pm when she and her relatives were returning home after watching a movie. While the others had a close shave and sustained minor head injuries, Shreya was difficult to locate in the thick foliage. Thankfully, the residents in neighbourhood came to their rescue; they took all of them, including Shreya, to Dhanwantari Hospital before shifting them to Hinduja."

"Shreya was initially unable to feel sensation in her limbs; however, she began responding to stimuli later. The doctors have detected a fracture in her spine but we will know about her condition once the operation is over," he added.

The uprooted tree was hollow from the inside and would have fallen any day. Shiv Sena's sitting corporator Priti Patankar and Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar visited the family and took cognisance of the issue.

BMC supervisor at the site, Vilas Kamble, who was monitoring the trimming of trees in the area after the incident, said they were not able to cut trees in time, as there is double parking in the narrow lanes.

Kedar Phanse (40), an eyewitness, said, ‘‘The incident could have been easily averted had the trees been trimmed. We had requested BMC twice.’’

‘‘The laying of paver blocks around the tree had also weakened its roots. Such incidents are bound to happen," he reasoned.

In a separate incident on Saturday night, 13-year-old Drushti Mungra succumbed to a severe head injury after a tree at SN Dube Road fell on her. She was immediately rushed to hospital where she was declared brought dead. Later, her body was taken to Kandivali Shatabdi Hospital for post-mortem.

With the onset of monsoons, there have already been three deaths. The number of tree felling accidents have also shot up.