A six-year-old boy was crushed to death and another six-year-old sustained injuries after a hydraulic car parking ramp collapsed on them at a residential building in Kandivli (West) on Wednesday morning. The victim, Nihal Vasvani, was the only child of Sandeep Vasvani, a businessman, and his wife, a homemaker.
The boys, according to two eyewitnesses, were playing around the parking lot in the H-wing of the Veena Santoor building in Mahavir Nagar when the incident took place around 11am.
“The WagonR car, which fell on them, had just been elevated by the watchman after it was washed,” said Rajesh Katkure, a car washer who witnessed the mishap. “I heard the watchman warning the boys to not run under the ramp… They ran away, but came back in a while, and a few minutes later, we heard a loud noise and saw that the ramp had collapsed.”
Katkure and Deepak Bahadur, also a car washer, rushed to the spot and saw one of the boys crying. “His shoulder was hurt... Then we noticed a slipper lying around and realised the other boy was stuck under the ramp,” said Bahadur, adding that they immediately removed the car and lifted the ramp to pull Nihal out.
Sandeep, who was also around and had heard the loud noise, rushed to the spot and saw his son being pulled out, said the police, adding that he, along with others, rushed Nihal to a nearby hospital, where the boy succumbed to head injuries.
Residents of the society said while they were given possession of flats around a year ago, the hydraulic parking system was installed by the builder around six months ago.
The builder, they said, still manages everything as a housing society has not been formed.
“We had written to the builder recently complaining about the maintenance and quality of the system. But, got no response from him… We want the police to take appropriate action in this case,” said Dharmesh Solanki, a neighbour of the Vasvanis.
When HT visited the office of the builder, Veena Developers, in the evening to get a comment, a representative said the owner would respond later.
There was, however, no response from the builder till the time of going to press.
The police, meanwhile, have booked the builder; the on-duty watchman who was operating the ramp; the company that had fixed the ramp; and the company responsible for its maintenance under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police declined to reveal names of the company that had installed the parking ramp, and the one responsible for its maintenance, saying their probe was not yet complete.
While the victim’s parents were inconsolable, his aunt, Nisha Desai, said, “We suspect negligence on part of the builder and the company looking after the maintenance of the hydraulic parking system.”
Another family member, who did not wish to be named, said, “It’s a shocking incident… Nihal was the only child. He was born 14 years after his parents got married. They [his parents] just want their son back.”
First Published: May 23, 2019 01:21 IST
