After days of haggling, the family members of Indian student Nilam Shinde, who was injured in a hit-and-run in Sacramento, will fly to the US on Friday, according to reports. They were granted a visa by the US Embassy on Friday morning.
Their plight had come to light after her father Tanaji Shinde, a resident of Maharashtra's Satara, approached the government stating they were facing hurdles in securing a visa to visit Shinde. Following this, the MEA took up the issue with the US authorities, following which an emergency visa interview was granted at the US consulate in Mumbai on Friday morning, according to reports.
Meanwhile, the condition of Indian student Nilam Shinde, who remains comatose in the US, continues to be critical. She suffered fractures in both arms and both legs and required emergency brain surgery, reported NDTV.
According to Sacramento police, the hit-and-run was reported on February 14 at Cadillac Dr and Fair Oaks Blvd. Shinde was reportedly riding a scooter when the car driven by 56-year-old Lawrence Gallow mowed her down. Gallow fled the scene before police arrived and was arrested five days later.
A post-graduate student at California State University, Shinde had been living in the US for four years. Her family had applied for a visa 48 hours after the accident but were told by the visa office in Mumbai to leave.
They were informed that there were no slots available this year.
The family also received an emergency alert from the hospital asking them to come to the US as soon as possible. The family said the hospital is sending updates about her health condition daily.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in San Francisco said they would render all assistance to the family. "We convey our sympathy and solidarity to the family of Nilam Shinde, a victim of a serious road accident in California on February 14 who is admitted to UC Davis Health Hospital near Sacramento. @cgisfo has been in constant touch with the hospital, family, and friends for the last several days and has been rendering all possible assistance. We will continue to remain engaged to support her and the family," the Indian Consulate General in San Francisco posted on X.
