Six-year-old girl dies after car rams e-rickshaw in West Delhi’s Janakpuri

A six-year-old girl died after the e-rickshaw she was travelling in, along with her grandmother, was rammed by a speeding car in West Delhi's Janakpuri. Her grandmother said that as the deceased lay on the side of the road, soaked in blood, she kept begging drivers of passing vehicles to take her granddaughter to a hospital, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. The girl later succumbed to injuries during treatment.

‘Begged a driver for help, but he fled’

Recalling the horrific accident which took place on February 17 morning, the girl’s maternal grandmother, Mercy Xavier that the tragedy struck when she was taking her granddaughter to school.

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"The e-rickshaw driver was driving very gently. Suddenly, a speeding white car collided with our e-rickshaw, and the three of us fell. I begged the car driver to take my baby to the hospital in his car. But he ran away," said Xavier.

‘If help had come sooner…’

The girl's mother said she got a call from a hospital staffer informing her about the accident and her mother's fervent pleas for help on the road that fell on deaf ears.

"She stopped three to four vehicles and asked for help, but no one stopped," the mother said. It was a nurse who rushed her daughter to the hospital with the help of another person.

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"If help had come sooner, maybe things would have been different," the mother said, adding that the car was speeding.

Neighbours described the child as cheerful. "Her grandmother would drop her off at school and pick her up. We've seen her -- she was very cheerful. She has an older sister, and they live with their parents and grandparents," said Georgina, a neighbour.

Accused arrested

The victim and her grandmother, residents of Lajwanti Garden, were initially taken to Mata Chanan Devi Hospital. They were later shifted to an advanced facility in Dwarka.

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Mercy Xavier told police that around 7.40 am, she was travelling in an e-rickshaw with her granddaughter when, near the Janakpuri Fire Station, a car rammed into their vehicle, sending it toppling and throwing both of them onto the road.

The police later seized the car and apprehended its driver, who they identified as Sanjeev. "The accused driver was apprehended on Wednesday. Statements of witnesses are being recorded, and CCTV footage from cameras installed near the fire station and surrounding areas is being examined to reconstruct the sequence of events," an officer said.

(With agency inputs)