A six-year-old boy, out on a drive to eat panipuris with his father and two cousins near Mumbai on Sunday evening, died after their car was struck by another. The boy, Harsh Mavji Arethia, who was seated on the front passenger seat, died from the impact of the airbag that deployed due to the collision, according to the police.
An SUV driving ahead of the family’s Wagon R hit a divider. The impact was so forceful that the rear part of the SUV lifted into the air and fell on Wagon R’s bonnet, forcing airbags to deploy.
The incident took place in Vashi, about an hour’s drive from Mumbai.
Detailing the accident, Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Ghumal of Vashi Police Station, said, “Another car coming from behind hit the first car and its airbags opened. The child, sitting in the car, was hit by the airbag. The people passing by took him to the hospital. He died during the treatment. A case has been registered.”
According to doctors, Harsh had no visible injury marks. The doctors believe the cause of death to be polytrauma shock.
The visuals from the ground show the bonnet of the white Wagon R severely damaged. The metal is creased and torn, with sharp edges. The crash has pushed the bonnet upwards.
The man driving the SUV has been arrested.