Coconut thrown from train injures woman

A 29-year-old woman suffered head injuries after an unidentified passenger threw a coconut and some floral waste from a train while it was on the Vaitarna bridge on Wednesday afternoon. The woman, Rohini Patil, who was accompanied by her 18-month-old daughter and a cousin, fell on the tracks from the impact. She was taken to a hospital, where she received four stitches on her head.

“My wife was taking our daughter to a doctor, as she had a high fever. As we do not have an approach road to reach Vaitarna station [from Wadhiv village], many people use the tracks to reach the Vaitarna station,” said Vikrant Patil, Rohini’s husband.

“Even though Rohini was standing 50 feet away from the tracks, an unknown commuter threw the plastic bag containing the coconut and floral waste and it hit her,” said Vikrant.

“Rohini is lucky to have survived the attack. She could have died had the coconut smashed her skull. It [throwing garbage off trains] is also an occupational risk for the signal maintainers, technicians and other employees of the Western Railway [WR] who work along the tracks,” said Mahesh Patil, member of Dahanu Vaitarna Pravasi Sevabhavi Sanstha (DVPSS), Palghar.

Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR, called the incident “unfortunate”. “She should immediately complain to the Vaitarna government railway police so that the miscreant can be identified,” he said.

First Published: Apr 26, 2019 02:53 IST