60-year-old dies in Delhi after e-bike takes illegal cut, hit by car

GURGAON: A 60-year-old man on his way to hospital for dialysis succumbed to head injuries he suffered after the Uber bike he had hired allegedly took an illegal cut to enter Dwarka Expressway and was hit by a car from behind.

Ramchayan died at AIIMS trauma centre around 11am on Sept 20, two days after he met with the accident near pillar number 58. According to his family, he was not given a helmet by the Uber rider who accepted the booking.

At the hospital, Ramchayan could not recognise anyone, his family said. When his son, Abhishek, called out to him in the ICU, all he replied was ‘bhaiyya'. That was the last they heard from him.

Around 2.30pm on Sept 18, Abhishek had booked an Uber Moto to take his father from their house in Shankar Vihar to SGT Hospital for the dialysis.

The bike, according to his family, got onto the expressway using an unauthorised cut to reach the hospital faster. A car – possibly a Maruti Swift – that was cruising on the speedway crashed into the bike from behind, causing it to skid on the cratered road.

Ramchayan, who was oozing blood from head injuries, was rushed to nearby JSR Hospital in an NHAI ambulance. But his family instead took him to SGT Hospital, where he was anyway undergoing treatment for months.

With traumatic injuries, Ramchayan slipped into coma around 10pm on Sept 19. He was then taken to AIIMS, where he died the next morning.

Shikha, Ramchayan's daughter, lodged a complaint against the bike rider and driver of the car that crashed into them at Bajghera police station. A case was registered against the two under sections 281 and 125 (a) of BNS, accounting for rash driving.

"I had just returned from the police station after lodging a complaint when I was told my father is no more," she sobbed.

Ramchayan, who worked as an accountant at Sahara, had to leave his job midway because of his failing health. Originally from Lucknow, the family shifted to Gurgaon after Ramchayan bagged a job at Sahara Mall in the NCR city.

"He could not continue because of his health. So, my brother and I had to take over reins of the family. Both of us took up jobs in private firms to augment the family income. Our father was everything to us. We would go to him for every kind of advice, be it financial or personal. But he could not even recognise us in his final hours. He called my brother ‘bhaiyya'," she told TOI.

Shikha accused the Uber rider of stealing his father's wallet as well. "He told us it was he who called the ambulance after the accident. He also claimed to have kept my father's backpack inside the ambulance. But we did not find anything in the vehicle. Even his blanket, medical documents and his favourite shades were missing," Shikha said.

Ramchayan's family alleged that the rider kept changing his statements.

"He initially told us he left after the ambulance took my father away. But then he claimed he accompanied my injured father to hospital. But he admitted having taken the illegal cut," the daughter said.

Shikha said when she called Uber customer support, the company representative told her there was no provision for insurance for bike customers.

"The rider, however, told us his company had provided him with insurance cover. Uber promised to reach out to us, but we are yet to get any calls," she added.

Police were yet to make any arrest till late on Sunday evening.

"We will call the rider for questioning on Monday. If he is found to be at fault, sections will be added against him in the FIR. There are no CCTV cameras aon the expressway. We are trying to find footage from nearby cameras," said Ashok Kumar, the SHO of Bajgher police station.

Till late on Friday evening, Uber hadn't responded to multiple calls and texts from TOI.