Accident severs heads of mother, daughters on footpath

Mumbai: In another incident of innocent lives being lost due to rash driving, a speeding trailer trampled a 30-year-old woman and her three daughters, who were sleeping on the footpath outside their slum on St Louis Bridge at Reay Road, early last morning.

The incident took place around 5.30 am at Sainath Nagar. The deceased, Sonali Sheikh (30), was sleeping with her daughters, Luftha (10), Shabana (6) and Yasmin (2) on the foothpath, when Gual Prahlad Gaur (25), the driver, lost control of the vehicle and crushed them to death.

One of the eyewitnesses, Mohammad Sharif, who stays in a hutment nearby, said, "The trailer crushed the heads of all the victims. Before we could react, their heads got detached from their bodies and all of them were dead on the spot. The family was about to leave for their hometown in West Bengal on November 12."

Chasing the driver
The accident hurled the area in frenzied activity. Fearing that the crowd might get aggressive, Gaur tried to make a run for it, but some of the residents, who had seen the accident, chased the trailer for three km and finally intercepted him at Dana Bunder signal.

Salim, one of the deceased's neighbours, said, "I was sleeping on the same footpath. Suddenly I heard people shouting about chasing the trailer, which was fast moving away. I rushed towards my hutment and got hold of my bike keys and began chasing the trailer. Other neighbors trailed the accused in taxis and motorcycles, and we nabbed him at Dana Bunder."

The crowd assaulted Gaur and turned him in to the Byculla police station.

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The Byculla police said that they have informed the truck's owners, SS Roadline Company. They booked Gaur under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 304 A (causing death by negligence), and 134 AB (actions for damages) of the Indian Penal Code.

"We have sent the bodies to JJ hospital for postmortem. Once we are done with the procedure, the deceased will be handed over to their immediate family," said Sub-inspector Arun Dhanawde of Byculla police station.

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Police said that Sonali worked as a maidservant. She separated from her husband, Karim, 12 years ago. But he has come forward to claim the bodies of his wife and daughters.