Mumbai’s Khar tree collapse: Survivor had topped her class with perfect CGPA just days before accident
Harshita Kumar, 21, who received a perfect CGPA of 10 just days before a falling tree left her in the ICU, is showing signs of recovery after cervical spine surgery, though doctors say progress will be slow due to head injuries.
Accident site in Khar. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob) Days before a falling tree on Khar’s Linking Road left her unconscious in the ICU, Harshita Kumar had just received the best news of her academic life. The 21-year-old BSc Finance student had topped her class with a perfect CGPA of 10. Now, a day after her friend Aarika Srivastava died from injuries sustained in the same accident, Harshita is showing signs of recovery after undergoing cervical spine surgery over the weekend.
Harshita, who remains in the ICU at Hinduja Hospital, is still unconscious. Her family says doctors have indicated she is responding positively after the surgery.
“We are in a lot of pain and praying to God for strength and for her speedy recovery. Her surgery was successful and doctors have told us that Harshita is showing positive signs. She is still unconscious. We have a long journey ahead and doctors have told us that the recovery will be slow as she has sustained head injuries,” said Harshita’s father, Harish Kumar.
A student pursuing a BSc in Finance at the BSE Institute, Harshita topped her class in results announced just days before the accident. “She is pursuing a very unique course and is extremely intelligent,” her father added.
Accident site in Khar. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob)
Harshita and Aarika suffered critical injuries, including skull fractures, after a tree inside the compound of an under-construction site collapsed onto the autorickshaw they were travelling in.
The accident occurred on May 10 when Harshita, Aarika and Aarika’s sister, Manasvi Srivastava, were heading out for lunch in Khar after spending time together at Harshita’s home. Manasvi escaped with a fractured leg. Harshita and Aarika lost consciousness and were rushed to hospital by their autorickshaw driver.
The three were close family friends. The Kumar and Srivastava families have known each other for 30 years and regularly met on weekends. The Srivastavas are from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, the Kumars from Patna.
Aarika died on Sunday morning at 6.05 am after a week in hospital.
Her relatives say the family is still struggling to cope with the loss. Aarika’s father, Sumit Srivastava, was visiting a relative at Tata Memorial Hospital when he got a call from Manasvi about the accident. “When Manasvi called my brother, she said there had been a major accident. Aarika remained in the ICU for a week and even marked her fifteenth birthday on May 13 while admitted there. She passed away on Sunday morning,” said Aarika’s uncle, S K Srivastava.
Accident site in Khar. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob)
A resident of Malad East, Aarika had recently completed Class 9 and enrolled for IIT-JEE coaching at the Narayana centre as she prepared to enter Class 10.
On Monday, Aarika’s family held a prayer meeting in Sahar. Having lost Aarika, the Srivastava family is now hoping for Harshita’s recovery.
Following the incident, Khar police registered a case of alleged negligence against Bluestone Properties, the construction company managing the site, based on a complaint by Manasvi. Bluestone Properties expressed grief over the incident but said the project was executed in compliance with statutory norms, claiming the tree had internal decay and severe termite infestation despite no visible external signs of instability.
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