30-yr-old deaf-mute battles for life after the bus she was alighting from crushed her pelvis; doctors remove dead foetus, uncertain of victim's survival
A deaf and mute woman, in the eighth month of her pregnancy, lost her unborn child and is in a critical condition, as a result of callousness on part of the driver and conductor of the bus she was travelling in. Doctors treating the victim at Sion hospital say her condition is critical and chances of survival slim.
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Dhanvantri Dahara (30), who earns a living by making rotis for some households in Jalgaon, was returning from the doctor’s clinic on the evening of April 26, when the mishap occurred. She was in the process of alighting from the front door of the Jalgaon Mahanagar Palika (JMP) bus in Sindhi Society sabzi mandi area, when the driver accelerated ahead.
Dhanvantri lost balance and fell on the road and was run over by the rear wheel of the bus. Ashok Yadgar, former councillor of JMP, immediately rushed her to a government hospital where doctors declared her baby dead. The hospital did not have the necessary facilities to treat Dhanvantri and an attempt to take her to Auranagad hospital proved futile, as her condition was critical. The woman was taken by ambulance and admitted to Sahyog Critical Care Centre, Jalgaon, where doctors operated for over five hours to extract the foetus. Dhanvantri spent four days in ICU, after which she was transferred to Sion hospital for further treatment. “We have collected Rs 73,000 for her treatment at Sahyog Critical Care Centre from the Jalgaon Sindhi Samaj, and are all are praying for Dhanvantri,” Ashok Yadgar said.
Hoping against hope
A doctor at Sion hospital said that Dhanvantri’s condition is far from stable. “Her pelvic bones were dislodged and there is a severe fracture to the main hipbone. She has several lesions on her back and thighs. Her condition is extremely critical as a result of pus formation and blood clotting in her pelvic region and stomach. We are not sure if she will survive,” Dr Deepak Joshi, assistant professor at Sion hospital, said.
The victim’s haemoglobin count had dropped after the accident and she required seven blood transfusions during treatment. Dhanvantri’s husband, Ramdarshan Dahara, is also deaf and mute. “We brought her to Mumbai just three days ago and she has been undergoing blood tests,
X-rays and sonography tests ever since. Though she has been communicating with us and putting up a good fight, the doctor says her chances of recovering are slim,” said Dhanvantri’s mother-in-law Sheela Dahara.
Police investigations
The victim’s relative, Madanlal Dahara, has filed a complaint against the bus driver and conductor at Jalgaon’s MIDC police station. The bus is currently in police custody and conductor Namdev Kohli and driver Dinesh Nanaware have been booked under various sections of IPC. “Since the woman is deaf, she couldn’t hear the bell being rung by the conductor, which resulted in the mishap. We have filed a complaint against the driver and conductor,” inspector Parbit Thakur said.u00a0