Stuck in lift for an hour: Woman dies after childbirth as Meerut Hospital lift crashes

Meerut: Tragically, just minutes after giving birth to a baby girl, a 28-year-old woman died at Capital Hospital in Meerut when a malfunction in the lift's belt caused it to crash and her neck became trapped in the lift's gates, causing severe head and neck injuries.

Angered and devastated over her death, the family members vandalised the hospital property when doctors and staff fled the spot during the accident, as per TOI news report. 

An FIR has been registered against the hospital owner, the doctor and the hospital staff under BNS section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) for not helping to rescue the woman, according to a statement from a police officer.  

The incident occurred yesterday when the woman was being transferred to a ward on the ground floor following her delivery. As the lift descended, its belt snapped just before it reached the ground floor, causing it to plummet. The woman’s neck became severely trapped in the lift, resulting in her death on the spot. Two other hospital staff who accompanied her managed to survive and sustained minor injuries from the accident. 

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The two hospital staff and the woman were rescued around 45 minutes or an hour after the crash and were immediately taken to another private hospital where the doctors declared her brought dead. 

The incident took a turn when the family members claimed that the hospital staff and doctors instead of helping their patient fled from the scene. They claimed that even though they pleaded for help desperately, no employee of the hospital helped them to rescue the woman. The hospital staff have been accused of negligence towards the patient. 

Her husband who is an army personnel told TOI, “We could hear her cries for help. By the time she was rescued, she was pronounced dead at another facility."

Raged over the loss of the woman, her family members returned to the hospital and created a ruckus. The atmosphere at the hospital was chaotic as the relatives protested, shouted slogans against the hospital administration and vandalised the hospital property. Amid the ruckus, 13 patients admitted to the hospital were shifted to another hospital by their attendants. 

Subsequently, the police were informed who reached the spot and brought the situation under control. An FIR has been registered against the hospital owner, the doctor and the hospital staff under BNS section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) for not helping to rescue the woman. 

"My brother's wife had just delivered a baby. After the lift crashed, it took almost 45 minutes to rescue her. The hospital staff fled the scene instead of calling a mechanic or providing some help. This was a horrifying and painful incident," a relative told India Today.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ashok Kataria said, "The lift might have snapped due to overloading. Lift maintenance records will be scrutinised. If any negligence is found, strict action will be taken against those responsible."

Presently, the accused hospital staff is absconding. 

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