Eleven-year-old Rudra, who was badly hurt in lift mishap in Goregaon, describes to mid-day how he desperately held on to friend Vignesh, which was what prevented his fall on to deadly lift spring
Rudra Susvirkar lies in his hospital bed with his mother, Sanjeevani, by his side after the Goregaon lift accident. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Eleven-year-old Rudra Susvirkar, who was badly injured after falling into the lift shaft in a Goregaon building on Wednesday night around 10.00 pm, talks to mid-day about what happened that day. He said he had held on to friend Vignesh Mahatre’s hand as soon as he began to fall into the lift shaft after the grill door broke, which may have prevented him from ending up on the dangerous lift spring. But, both boys eventually fell in after Vignesh slipped out of Rudra’s grip.
Speaking to mid-day from his hospital bed, Rudra recounted the terrifying sequence of events. He said the incident took place while he and Vignesh were playing with other children on the third floor of their residential building after returning from tuition.
“We were playing hide-and-seek and then kabaddi. Vignesh was running when he suddenly hit the lift. The outer door broke, the grill gate swung inward, and he fell into the lift duct,” Rudra said.
Seeing his friend in danger, Rudra immediately rushed forward and managed to grab Vignesh’s hand. He held on with one hand while bracing himself against the wall with the other. “I started shouting for help,” he said. As Vignesh continued to slip, Rudra tried to adjust his grip. In that moment, he lost balance and fell into the shaft along with his friend.
Rudra Susvirkar’s mother, Sanjeevani, sits beside him at the hospital following the lift shaft fall in Goregaon West. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Rudra said that during the fall, he attempted to grab the lift’s support cable to save himself, but his hand slipped as the wire was greasy. “I was conscious after the fall. Vignesh was badly injured and not responding. I kept calling for help, but after some time I felt severe pain and lost consciousness,” he recalled. He later regained consciousness to find himself in a wheelchair at the hospital.
In the accident, Rudra sustained fractures in both arms and his left thigh bone. He is currently admitted to Matushree Gomati Hospital, where doctors have performed surgery to align the fractured bones. Vignesh, who suffered head injuries with bleeding, was taken to Kokilaben Hospital, where doctors operated on his wounds. His condition is stated to be stable, and he remains under observation.
As soon as Vignesh lost his balance when the lift door caved inwards, Rudra grabbed his hand and held on
When mid-day visited Rudra on Friday, his parents, Sanjeevani and Anil Susvirkar, were by his side. Teachers and classmates from Rudra’s school have been visiting regularly to offer support. mid-day also learned that prayers were offered at temples, churches and mosques for the recovery of both boys.
Rudra’s mother, Sanjeevani, said her son’s first question after regaining consciousness was about Vignesh. “He kept regretting that he could not save his friend,” she said, holding the housing society responsible for the incident.
Rudra’s parents have alleged gross negligence. “The society collects maintenance charges, and lift technicians visit regularly, but they only check the ground-floor door and weight capacity. They never inspect all the lift doors,” said Anil, adding that he had mentioned the society’s lapses in his statement to the police.
But as Rudra tried to adjust his grip, Vignesh slipped out of his grasp and fell, but thankfully escaped the lift spring that could have killed him instantly; Rudra fell after him. Illustrations/Uday Mohite
Eyewitness Arnav Kadam, 15, a resident of the same society, described the rescue efforts. “I was waiting on the ground floor when I heard a loud metallic crash from inside the shaft. When I looked in, I saw the broken lift door and both boys lying inside,” he said.
Kadam said he immediately opened the lift door, jumped into the shaft and called out to Vignesh, who addressed him as “Dada”. By then, Rudra’s father had arrived. “Since Vignesh was bleeding heavily near his eye, we pulled him out first. Then we rescued Rudra and rushed both of them to hospital,” he said.
Police officials said a spot panchnama has been conducted, and further investigation into possible negligence by the society and the lift maintenance agency is underway.
Vignesh had immediately lost consciousness, but Rudra was conscious till he passed out from the extreme pain the lift spring
Dr Shubham Shukla of Tiwari Hospital said Rudra sustained fractures in both arms and his left thigh bone. “The bones have been aligned through surgery. His condition will be reviewed in three to four weeks, and if required, another procedure will be carried out to remove the screws. There is no cause for concern at present,” the doctor said.
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