Pregnant woman dies after Delhi dumper-auto collision family alleges delay in ventilator support

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) A 26-year-old pregnant woman died during treatment at a Delhi hospital on Friday, a day after a dumper rammed into an overcrowded autorickshaw in northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar, taking the death toll in the accident to three, besides her unborn child.

     Rakhi, who was six months pregnant, suffered a miscarriage following the collision near Pushta No. 5 on Thursday morning. Her family has alleged that she was put on ventilator support nearly 16 hours after the accident.

     Rakhi’s sister-in-law Reena told PTI that she and her husband Raja had got married in July 2024 and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. Raja runs a printing press.

     The family alleged that despite Rakhi’s critical condition, she was not provided ventilator support until around 9 pm on Thursday, nearly 16 hours after the accident. Her breathing was supported manually using an Ambu bag in the interim.

     Another sister-in-law, Rajni, said Rakhi’s condition had been extremely critical after the accident and expressed anguish over the delay in providing ventilator support.

     The family said Raja’s condition also remained serious. He had been suffering from persistent vomiting and underwent a CT scan on Friday.

     Rakhi’s body has been kept in the hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination. Further formalities related to the post-mortem examination of the woman and her unborn child will be completed after Raja’s discharge, the family said.

     The accident occurred around 5 am on Thursday when a speeding dumper truck rammed into an autorickshaw carrying eight people, including five men, two women and a six-month-old girl.

     Two men, identified as Satbir and Pramod, were also killed in the collision, while several others sustained injuries. The dumper driver fled the spot and is yet to be arrested.

     Pramod worked as an office assistant in the chamber of advocate Sunil Chaudhary at the Karkardooma court, the lawyer said.

     Chaudhary said Pramod’s acquaintance Akshay Sharma, who drove an autorickshaw, had accompanied him. However, police have maintained that Pramod was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.

     Pramod is survived by his wife, son Aditya and daughter Aditi.

     Satbir’s wife Moni, their six-month-old daughter Kanika and another injured passenger, Rameshwar Dayal, are undergoing treatment at hospitals.

     Police have handed over the bodies of Satbir and Pramod to their families after post-mortem examinations. They are examining CCTV footage and questioning locals to trace the absconding dumper driver.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)