Metro structure crash victim left late to office on fateful day

Family members blame metro authorities for negligence

January 10, 2023 10:42 pm | Updated January 11, 2023 01:41 pm IST - Bengaluru

Tejaswini and her son Vihan

Tejaswini and her son Vihan | Photo Credit: ANI

Bengaluru

Tejaswini, 28, and her two-and-a-half-year-old son, victims of the metro structure collapse on Tuesday morning, could have been saved if they had left for office on time, said the victim’s sister Sushma.

“Unfortunately, Tejaswini, who was working at a private company in Manyata Tech Park, was late by half an hour to office on Tuesday and became the victim,” Ms. Sushma told The Hindu.

Tejaswani, along with her husband Lohith Kumar, 33, and their twins (a son and a daughter), were on a bike going to office while also dropping their twins to school, which is also on the tech park premises.

“Tejaswini usually is at office by 10 a.m., but on Tuesday, they were running late and met with the accident at 10.30 a.m. It is a clear negligence of authorities that I lost my sister and her baby (Vihan),” Ms. Sushma added.

The victim’s family has urged the government to punish the officials who are responsible for the death of the mother and her child.

The victim’s family has urged the government to punish the officials who are responsible for the death of the mother and her child. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

The collapsed under-construction reinforcement structure for Namma Metro pillar on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near HBR Layout, in Bengaluru on January 10, 2023.

The collapsed under-construction reinforcement structure for Namma Metro pillar on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near HBR Layout, in Bengaluru on January 10, 2023. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Lohith Kumar is working as a civil engineer and his daughter Vismita, one of the twins, escaped with injuries and is being treated at a private hospital in HBR Layout. The family was residing in Horamavu.

The family hails from Gadag district. Meanwhile, Lohith’s father Vijayakumar urged the government to punish the officials who are responsible for the death of his daughter-in-law and grandson. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Vijayakumar said, “I don’t have words to express myself. Never expected that I will lose my daughter-in-law and grandson. I want those responsible for the death to be punished.”

“The government and metro agency should take all safety measures during construction work. My only request is that the other people should feel safe while travelling near the metro construction sites,” he added.

Father and daughter recovering

Meanwhile, Lohith Kumar and Vismita have suffered minor injuries and are being treated at Altius Multispeciality Hospital near Nagawara signal on Outer Ring Road. Doctors at the hospital said they are being treated as out-patients.

Mahesh S.B., anaesthetist-cum-emergency specialist at the hospital, said the mother and son were brought in a critical condition to the hospital. “Their pulse had dropped and despite all efforts to revive them, they could not survive. Both had sustained head injuries and suffered extreme blood loss,” he said.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.