BENGALURU: Eleven-year-old Praveen, a resident of Vibhutipura, who was mauled by a pack of dogs near his house on Wednesday, could have saved himself if he had run away with his elder brother and friend, instead of running into the Vibhutipura Lake waters.
Praveen’s uncle Prithvi Pullaiah informed The New Indian Express that his nephew was playing with his elder brother Arogyaraj (15), and a friend, outside their house, when a pack of dogs started chasing them.
“The dogs were attracted by the discarded meat strewn next to the gates of their house. When the dogs charged, Arogyaraj and his friend ran towards the dry land, which allowed them to run faster. They thought Praveen too would follow them. But Praveen ran straight into the lake waters, assuming that the dogs will not be able to chase him there. But running into the water cut Praveen’s speed, allowing the dogs to attack him.”
It was a security guard of a nearby establishment who ran to Praveen’s rescue. But by the time he was able to do that, the dogs had mauled Praveen.
Boy still critical: Docs
Manipal Hospitals doctors informed The New Indian Express that they plan to wait till Monday to decide if they can perform a surgery on Praveen, whose scalp, arms, neck (including the windpipe), chest and legs have been severely damaged. The boy continues to be critical, said the doctors at Manipal Hospitals on Old Airport Road, where he is being treated in the paediatric ICU.
“He continues to be on life support systems and additionally he is on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) as well,” said Dr Anoop Amarnath, Chief of Clinical Service, Manipal Hospitals.
A devastated Manohar K, Praveen’s father, said, “He hasn’t opened his eyes since Thursday afternoon. First it was his kidneys. They said he has to be put on dialysis. Then they said his heart had stopped beating. They have put tubes in his chest and mouth. I have left everything to God.”