Mumbai: Pothole robs 30-year-old man of his left leg

Ajay Bhalerao, accident victim. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

A 30-year-old Chembur resident, Ajay Bhalerao, lost his left leg after he skidded due to a pothole and was run over by a speeding truck last month. After being discharged from the hospital recently, Bhalerao, a storekeeper, registered a complaint against the truck driver.

He told mid-day, "On July 27, I was on my way to my shop in Prabhadevi as usual. But near Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), my two-wheeler got stuck in a pothole around 9 am. I fell down and a truck ran over my leg. I received no help from the police. Passers-by took the phone out of my pocket and contacted my brother Vijay. He rushed me to Sion hospital."

"If there was no pothole, the incident would not have taken place," said Bhalerao.

The man claimed he did not receive proper treatment at Sion hospital. "I was in the facility from 10 am to 6 pm. After undergoing a number of tests, the doctors told me that my muscles were damaged severely. They dressed my wounds with tape and I was discharged," he alleged.

As Bhalerao did not see any improvement in his injured leg, he contacted a local doctor. On July 29, he was admitted to Swastik hospital in Chembur. "Doctors said my injured leg had developed gangrene, and that they would have to amputate it. The cost of this procedure was way beyond my budget," he said.

Bhalerao then consulted his friends and finally opted to undergo amputation on August 9 at Manik hospital. "My leg was amputated below the knee. I have experienced immense trauma and physical pain. I registered an FIR against the driver on August 19. My statement has been recorded," he said. Bhalerao fears for his future. "I have a two-year-old child. I was the sole breadwinner of my family. After this, the future appears bleak. I am still in extreme pain," he said.

According to him, the police are struggling to find the accused as the number plate of the truck is not clear in CCTV footage.

A case has been filed against the driver under IPC Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by an act of endangering life) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act of endangering life); and the Motor Vehicles Act.