Grandmother pleaded, but no one stopped to help girl: Family to donate eyes of minor who died after in hit-and-run in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The grieving family of five-year-old Preshell Prince, who recently lost her life in an accident in west Delhi's Janakpuri, has said that in the crucial early minutes after she was injured, no passerby came forward to take the girl to a hospital, despite her grandmother's pleadings.

The family, although in mourning, has chosen to donate Preshell's eyes.


Police said that she had left for school with her maternal grandmother Mercy Xavier (57) on Feb 17 at 7.40 am. They were in an e-rickshaw near the Janakpuri fire station, when a car rammed into the vehicle, causing it to overturn. The car driver fled. Police later caught him and identified him as Sanjeev, a lab assistant.

Speaking to TOI, Preshell's mum, nurse Soumya Xavier, said that although four to five people crossed the accident spot, they did not stop to help.

Gracy Sunny, Preshell's paternal grandmother, who returned to Delhi from Kerala after hearing the tragic news, said critical 10 to 15 minutes were lost as Preshell lay on the road bleeding.

"When the e-rickshaw overturned, Preshell's head hit a large stone. She was blood-soaked, and even when Mercy requested a car driver for help, he refused. This is a major problem in Delhi. No one comes forward to help during accidents. This must change," Sunny said.

While the tragedy highlighted the indifference of some, others stepped up.

"A colleague from my hospital was returning home when she saw at a distance that a vehicle had hit an e-rickshaw. She noticed my mother pleading for help, immediately came forward, placed my daughter on her scooter with a boy sitting pillion, rushed her to the hospital. My mother followed in another vehicle," Soumya said.

Preshell succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

The family has chosen to donate her eyes with the feeling that Preshell can continue to see the world through someone else. "I told my son we should go ahead with it," Sunny said.

The girl's mother said: "She was too young to leave us."

Preshell's annual day event in school had just concluded, and the photograph the family released for the condolence message was from her performance in it.

Soumya used to work as a nurse in Iraq and had returned to India two years ago and joined a private hospital in Dwarka. Her husband, Prince P John, also worked in hospital chain management in Iraq and had returned a few months ago.

Preshell lived in Janakpuri with her parents and older sister. The family earlier used to live in Tughlaqabad but moved to her maternal grandmother's house in Janakpuri to be closer to Soumya's hospital.