Devastated daughter of grandmother, 82, who was killed by a cement truck demands an end to 'green on green' traffic lights
- Ms Maharaj's family is campaigning for the traffic light system to be changed
- Gangotri Maharaj crossed road at Crows Nest before cement truck struck her
- Truck driver Nathan Kent said he initially had no idea he had hit the couple
- Mr Kent, 35, had been taken for mandatory testing and has not been charged
- Police and state authorities are now examining the road signalling system
The heartbroken family of a grandmother mowed down and killed by a cement truck are campaigning for road signals to be changed.
Gangotri Maharaj, 82, was run over as she held her husband's hand while crossing a road in Crows Nest, Sydney last week.
The couple, who were just days away from celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary, went to cross the road at the green light signal.
But at the same time an oncoming truck continued along his route because he too had a green traffic light.
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Mrs Maharaj (right) suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. Her husband Vijay (left) was taken to hospital
The truck hit Mrs Maharaj and she suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. Her husband was taken to hospital in shock.
Mrs Maharaj's devastated family, who held her funeral on Friday, are now calling for a change to the 'green on green' traffic light system.
'I don't want this to happen to any other family,' the couple's daughter Gita Singh told The Daily Telegraph.
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'I strongly believe that someone should be doing something to fix the traffic lights.'
Mrs Maharaj and her husband, who had four children and five grandchildren, had just obtained their Australian citizenship and had a bright future to look forward to.
'I was just looking at her new Australian passport. It was issued on April 24 and she had her birthday on April 26 and five days later she was gone,' Ms Singh said.
Gangotri Maharaj, 83 (right), was walking with her husband (left) across Willoughby Road, in Crows Nest when she was hit by the truck
Mrs Maharaj had only turned 83 last week, and was to celebrate her 61st wedding anniversary to her husband Vijay (pictured)
Head of the Pedestrian Council of Australia Harold Scruby agreed strongly with Ms Singh's sentiments and dubbed the 'green on green' traffic light system as 'lunacy'.
Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance offered his 'deepest condolences' to the family and insisted that safety was the top priority.
He also vowed to look into anything that could potentially make roads safer for members of the public.
NSW Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon extended his condolences to the victim's family and said the state had 'immediately started a review' into the safety of pedestrians at the intersection.
Police have since confirmed, as part of their ongoing investigation into the accident, the traffic light phasing system will be examined.
Truck driver Nathan Kent (pictured), who hit and killed an elderly woman on Thursday, said he initially had no idea he had struck her
Nathan Kent, the 35-year-old truck driver, has not been charged in relation to the incident.
Just hours after the tragic accident, the shaken truck driver told Daily Mail Australia he had no idea how the accident unfolded.
'I didn't see a thing. I didn't know anything until someone from the sidewalk yelled out for me to stop,' Mr Kent said.
'I'm really shaken up, I can't even imagine what they (the victim's family) are going through.'
Witnesses said the couple were crossing at the lights when the truck came around the corner and hit them.
The 83-year-old woman was crossing the road with her husband at the intersection of Albany Street and Willoughby Road (pictured) just after 11am when she was hit. She was dragged close to 15 metres down the street before the truck
A woman aged in her 80s has died after two pedestrians were run over by a cement truck at the intersection of Albany Street and Willoughby Road at Crow's Nest, in north Sydney
Shortly after the incident NSW Ambulance Inspector Carolyn Parish described the woman's injuries as catastrophic.
'The injuries were so catastrophic that the paramedics did everything they could to treat the patient, however, as a consequence (she) has died,' Insp Parish told reporters at the scene.
'It was quite a significant, traumatic scene for the attending crews.'
Meaghan Woodhouse, who works at Charlie Lovett cafe on the intersection, said she ran out and sat with the Mrs Maharaj's husband as the tradesman tried to free the woman.
In the moments after the crash, tradesmen at a nearby worksite rushed to the scene and tried to lift the cement truck (pictured) off the woman. A blue tent was placed next to the truck by police
'As I arrived I heard them yell out: 'There's somebody under there',' Ms Woodhouse said.
'Her husband was on his knees, looking desperately down the road, but I didn't know at that point that the woman was likely his wife.'
Daily Mail Australia understands the couple had been dropped off at the intersection by their daughter about 10.50am, before they entered a nearby Coles supermarket.
Close to 15 minutes later the couple left the store, but as they crossed the road to go back to meet their daughter the cement truck hit them both.
After learning his wife had been killed, the Mr Maharaj fell to one knee on the ground and screamed: 'My wife, my wife'.
Daily Mail Australia understands the couple had been dropped off at the intersection by their daughter about 10.50am to do their shopping at a nearby Coles supermarket (pictured left)
'The truck was turning left and I saw the old man and the old lady, the old man was holding the old lady's hand,' Jiraphat Seesai, who works at a nearby shop, said.
'They got crushed by the truck and the old lady (went) under the truck.
'The old man said: 'My wife, my wife'.'
NSW Ambulance inspector Carolyn Parish told Sydney Morning Herald Mrs Maharaj was found trapped under the truck.
'The scene was quite stressful and traumatic for all emergency services, quite heart-wrenching for paramedics particularly,' she said.
Ms Parish described the scene as 'very distressing' and 'one of the more traumatic' scenes she had attended.
There are road closures in the surrounding areas as local officers commence inquiries into the accident.
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