A prominent south Mumbai dentist, who was injured in an elevator crash at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (BDL) on April 28, died on Thursday at Masina Hospital.
Dr Arnavaz Havewalla, 63, suffered a pelvic fracture in the mishap, in which her daughter Hera, 28, was also injured. Hera continues to be under treatment at the same hospital.
Article in Mumbai Mirror
A statement released by Masina Hospital said Dr Havewalla was admitted to the hospital with a severe pelvic fracture and injury to heels due to fall from a height and she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday. While family and friends blamed the museum’s administration for Dr Havewalla’s death, BDL managing trustee Tasneem Mehta said Expert Equipment Limited, the agency appointed to maintain the elevator, is responsible for the accident. “The vendor said that the emergency brakes didn’t engage.
So it’s completely his fault. There was nothing that was in our control. We did everything we could to give her the best treatment. Our staff rushed her to the hospital and got her admitted to the ICU. I personally went to see her at the hospital. This is a very unfortunate incident,” Mehta said.
According to eye-witnesses, a cable attached to the elevator, that connects the museum’s ground floor to the first floor, snapped, sending it crashing down.
Hera, who sustained multiple fratures to her left leg, refused to talk to this newspaper about the incident on Thursday evening. “I am still in a shock. I have lost my mom. I will take this up with the museum at an appropriate time,” she said.
Dr Havewalla ran a clinic in Gamadia Colony Road in Tardeo.
A police officer at the Byculla police station, who did not wish to be identified, said no arrests have been made in the case so far. “We have only carried out preliminary investigations,” he said.
A message was being circulated in the Parsee community late on Thursday night expressing shock at Dr Havewalla’s death and seeking answers from the museum. “Dr Havewalla’s death has come as a shock to us. The BDL authorities must explain to us what went wrong. There must be a high-level probe and those responsible for this negligence must be booked,” said a community member.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Deepak Kundal said investigations are on to ascertain the cause of death. “Arrests will be made once we know who exactly was responsible for Dr Havewalla’s death,” he said.
Parsi Khabar’s note: Dr. Arnavaz Havewalla was the family dentist to my late mother and continued to be the dentist to my sister and my niece. Just a week before this tragedy they had both visited Dr. Havwewalla. The news of her passing was really personal here. Dr. Havewalla will always be remembered as a great dentist and a very warm and loving human being. Garothman Behest Arnavaz Aunty.