Auto driver injured in General Hospital Junction accident dies after a week

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A week after a speeding car crashed onto the footpath near General Hospital, Thiruvananathpuram, autorickshaw driver Shafi, 42, one of the four seriously injured in the accident, passed away on Sunday. He had been on ventilator support since the incident and showed no signs of recovery, said his family. Shafi, a resident of Azhikode, was the sole breadwinner of the household. He is survived by his partners Shajeela and Shamna, and four children: Shahana, Shafana, Mohammed Sayan and Fathima. Shamna, who has a speech impairment, and the children were entirely dependent on his income. The family now faces an uncertain future. Shafis body will be handed over to the family after the postmortem examination on Monday. The condition of the other injured victims remains critical. Surendran, another autorickshaw driver involved in the crash, is still in the ICU after undergoing surgery for a brain haemorrhage. Sreepriya, a pedestrian from Muttathara, continues to be unresponsive, and her family says doctors have observed no improvement. Anjaneyan, from Sasthamcotta, remains in the preoperative ICU ward. The accident happened on August 10 when a car lost control and crashed onto the footpath near the General Hospital. The vehicle, driven by A K Vishnunath, 25, from Vattiyoorkavu, rammed into autorickshaws and pedestrians before smashing through an iron railing and coming to a stop nearly five metres away. He was reportedly practising driving with his uncle Vijayan, who was in the car during the crash. RTO officials confirmed there was no mechanical fault in the car, and that the driver had applied the accelerator instead of the brake. The licence of Vishnunath has since been suspended for one year. Five people were injured in total autorickshaw drivers Shafi, Surendran and Kumar, and pedestrians Sreepriya and Anjaneyan. Of these, Shafi, Sreepriya and Anjaneyan suffered severe head and leg injuries and were put on ventilator support, while Kumar, Vishnunath and his uncle Vijayan escaped with minor injuries. Tragic turn of events The accident occurred on August 10 when a car rammed into autorickshaws and pedestrians before smashing through an iron railing and coming to a stop nearly five metres away. The driver of the car was reportedly practising driving with his uncle