HYDERABAD: Thursday came as a shocker to the Indian film industry and fans of Hema Malini when the news of her accident popped up in various news channels. A four-year-old, who was travelling in the car that collided with Hema Malini’s, succumbed to injuries. While the dream girl is being blamed for not taking the little one to a private hospital for treatment along with her, denizens in the city, who were once placed in similar situations, share whether it is fair to blame the 66-year-old for the death of the child.
“Only a person who hasn’t faced a similar situation will blame the actress for the child’s death,” says Saraswati S who met with an accident last November. “A mentally-challenged person threw a stone at the bus I was in. I was seated by the window and the stone hit my face. I had a nasal fracture.
I can completely relate to her situation. My head felt heavy because my nose was hurt. It was difficult for me to even move my head. Talking to people is something that wasn’t even on my mind. The shock is close to traumatising. As much as I am sad that the little girl faced a sad fate, I don’t agree with people who are blaming the actress,” expresses Saraswati.
Vijay Bidlan whose right hand got fractured when he met with a bike accident feels sad that people are blaming Hema Malini just because she is an actress and a politician. “It can be the doctor’s fault also that he did not bother to check people in the other car. But I am sure even he would not have done it intentionally,” shares Vijay adding that when he met with an accident, he had to surrender himself to the passers-by who also informed his family and took him to the hospital. “We forget all the manners and sense of responsibility when we meet with an accident. We just want to rush to the hospital and get treated,” shares Vijay.
Pratiksha V thinks that it is insane to expect an injured person to prioritise other victim’s needs before her own. She met with a road accident where her auto overturned after hitting a divider.
Her right shoulder was fractured during the accident. She says, “I had another fracture a month ago and I did not want to go through the pain again. The only thing I remember doing was crying out loud saying, ‘I don’t want another fracture’. I did not bother about the auto driver who was hurt. As the passers-by were hitting him, I assumed that he is alright,” laughs Pratiksha adding, “If I was in Hema Malini’s situation, I would have just left from the spot as soon as help arrived as there were people to take care of the others injured in the accident.”
Radhika Acharya, a rehabilitation psychologist from the city says that a person enters into a survival mode when something like this happens. “Hema Malini might have entered a state of shock after the accident. A person’s brain stops working at the time. The same must have happened with her. The case would have been different if she was not a celebrity,” she observes.
Explaining why the doctor prioritised Hema Malini’s life over the little girl she says, “There is a concept in psychology that explains that when in a group, we tend to pass on responsibilities to others and think they will take care. The doctor might have thought that other people at the accident spot will help the girl. Had it been only him at the spot, he would have rescued everyone.”