'No one helped': 6-year-old girl dies after e-rickshaw struck by car overturns in Delhi, grandmother recounts horror

New Delhi: A six-year-old girl was killed and her grandmother sustained injuries after the e-rickshaw in which they were travelling collided with a car and overturned in Delhi's Janakpuri area, an official said on Thursday.

When did the accident happen?

The accident, which took place on the morning of February 17, has once again highlighted the road safety concerns and bystanders’ response.

The incident occurred when the child and her maternal grandmother, residents of Lajwanti Garden, were on their way to school.

What did the police say?

According to Delhi Police, a PCR call regarding the incident was received from Mata Chanan Devi Hospital on the morning of February 17. The child was initially taken for treatment but was later declared dead at Max Hospital, Dwarka.

The police official said that her postmortem examination was conducted at Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital.

According to police officials, an FIR was registered following the incident. The car, which was involved in the accident, has been seized and the accused driver, who is identified as Sanjeev, was apprehended and bound over on Wednesday.

What did the family say?

According to police officials, the six-year-old victim's grandmother, Mercy Xavier (57), who was also injured in the incident, while sharing details of the accident said that around 7:40 am they were travelling in an e-rickshaw when it collided with a car near the fire station in Janakpuri. The impact caused the e-rickshaw to overturn.

The victim girl's mother, who works at a hospital, said she learnt about the accident after she got a call from her mother.

"A hospital staff saw the entire incident. She later told me that my elderly mother was crying and pleading for help on the road. My daughter was gasping for breath. People had gathered, but no one stepped forward to assist them," the girl's mother told the news agency PTI.

The six-year-old girl's mother further said that it was a nurse from the hospital who rushed her daughter to the facility with the help of another person.

"The car that hit the rickshaw was being driven at a very high speed. If help had come sooner, maybe things would have been different," she said.