Andheri BEST bus crash: Injured orthodontist's family seeks accountability after mishap

Dr Sakshi Petkar a 33yearold orthodontist from Dombivli was crossing SV Road in Andheri to select tiles for her new Bandra residence when an outofcontrol BEST bus that was allegedly speeding knocked her down on Friday July 10According to eyewitnesses Dr Petkar mother to a twoyearold was the first of at least six people who were injured in the mishap involving the wetlease bus on route 242 which rammed into 14 southbound vehicles that were awaiting a green signal near the Andheri subwaySpeaking to midday on Monday Dr Petkar and her family opened up about the traumatic experience and the challenges that lie ahead As his wife remains hospitalised facing a long recovery Ajay Singh 35 expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities and the media coverage for treating the matter as just another incident demanding strict action and accountability from the authoritiesSurvivorrsquos accountlsquoI was crossing the road to catch a cab I had looked both ways before crossing There were no speeding vehicles in sight When I neared the divider the bus came speeding I tried to completely get out of harmrsquos way by crossing but couldnrsquot make it in time I was thrown facefirst onto the divider I was conscious but dizzy Blood was dripping down my face barbed wire and branches had bruised me all overI was in extreme pain Two men helped me up and a kind woman accompanied me to the Millat Nursing Home where I got first aid While I was lying there I was just thinking about my daughter praying that I would survive for her sake Now that I lie here hospitalised slowly recovering I worry about my prospects I am an orthodontist how would I have practised if my hands were affected I had to cancel patients appointments while I focus on recoveryI had planned a second clinic in Bandra but now I wonrsquot be able to I canrsquot see my daughter who was just settling in at playschool I want to know what the authorities are doing to prevent a repeat Is it the driverrsquos fault or a systemic lapsersquoFamilyrsquos concernsAjay Singh the husband of survivor told midday ldquoWe had better access to healthcare as we are a family of doctors but what if someone less privileged had been hit BEST just came noted information said sorry and left No information was given regarding status of our case No procedure was shared regarding support and compensation If this is their procedure they really need to improve In news reports the authorities seemed to report the case as just another incident are we becoming so casual about these accidentsrdquo Singh said The wetlease system lowers BESTrsquos accountability by design They simply brush off incidents These buses must be audited what are they doing to prevent this from happening againrdquo he saidlsquoShe had lost a lot of bloodrsquoDr Nikhil Patil orthopaedic surgeon who is treating Dr Petkar at Dombivli Eastrsquos Matoshree Hospital said her complete recovery requires two months of bed rest ldquoShe has contused lacerated wounds on the right side of her forehead and left side of the arm a rightside clavicle fracture a pubic bone fracture and multiple abrasions on the body She had also lost a lot of blood before being brought in under my carerdquo he saidSpouse SpeaksAjay Singh husband of survivor lsquoNewspapers had played down my wifersquos injuries as minor These lsquominor injuriesrsquo are a fractured scapula a fractured pelvic bone extensive blood loss from her forehead and bruises across her body that need stitches and dressing constantly The framing of these articles makes this another lsquobythewayrsquo incident This is a mother of a 25yearold girl who runs a clinic and through years of hard work was on the cusp of opening a second one Everything was derailed by the hands of an inefficient system For how many months will she be on bed rest For how many months will my daughter tell me lsquoI miss mumma Bring her backrsquo How long do we have to reel under loss of incomeBEST officials who visited the family did not give any clarity about how to proceed We were approached by a thirdparty agency which claimed that they would help our case against the BEST I mightrsquove signed their proposal but fortunately I read it thoroughly and got to know that they are just middlemen who are doing this for commission What would I have done in this situation if I were in a more vulnerable statersquoBEST ResponseTrushna Vishwasrao chairperson BEST CommitteelsquoI was told that the victim had sustained minor injuries BEST officials were coordinating with the family I will personally look into the case We have taken cognisance of the fact that BESTrsquos wetlease buses tend to be involved in accidents We had taken all the measures to prevent this directing contractors to provide better training to drivers and carry out depotlevel health audits of buses Yet the accidents continue We have again launched a fresh probe into the matter the report is awaitedrsquopopcorn numberJuly 10 descDay incident occurred 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