National athlete girl dies after being hit by municipal garbage-collecting vehicle in Surat

A 19-year-old national-level athletics player lost her life tragically in Surat’s Panaas area on Saturday morning. 

Vidhi, daughter of Santoshbhai Kadam, originally from Raigad, Maharashtra, was on her way to the gym when a ‘door-to-door garbage collection’ tempo (three-wheeler) rammed her, causing severe injuries that led to her death.

Vidhi was riding her two-wheeler to the gym on Bhatar Road for training. At that time, a recklessly driven garbage-collection tempo on the Panaas Gam service road rammed into her two-wheeler. A crowd gathered on the spot and surrounded the tempo driver. Vidhi, who sustained serious injuries, was rushed to a private hospital, where she succumbed during brief treatment. The sudden tragedy devastated her family.

Vidhi was a second-year BCom student at K P Commerce College in Athwalines. She was a national-level athlete. Ironically, her death occurred just a day after National Sports Day, casting a pall of grief over Surat’s sports community.

Vidhi is survived by her parents and a brother. Her father works as a tailor in their native place. Khajodara police have arrested the 21-year-old tempo driver Girish Laxman Ad, a native of Rajasthan residing near the Bhatar Disposal Plant parking area, and further investigation is underway.

Shoeb Murad, secretary of Surat District Athletics Association, stated that last year Veer Narmad South Gujarat University had organised an inter-college athletics competition, where she emerged as the winner in both the 100m and 200m sprints, finishing in record-breaking time.

She had also competed at the state and national levels, working tirelessly to improve her performance. As a national-level selection candidate, she had been consistently training at the gym for months.