Mumbai:
She had just finished school and was hopping across the narrow lane to buy sweets around 12.30 pm on Friday.
A huge tree came crashing and injured 12-year-old Dimple Nathani, a standard VII student of Trinity International School, Sion. She had to be admitted to a hospital.
Luckily for the children, a car and two motorcycles parked outside the school lessened the impact of the crash.
While her friends escaped with injuries to their shoulder, Dimple sustained serious injuries to her feet and toes and had to be admitted to a private hospital. She also had to undergo emergency surgery.
Doctors at the hospital said Dimple has been kept under observation for any internal injuries.
"I hope my child will put this behind her and get back to school soon enough," said Dimple's father, Anup.
An ex-student of the school, Bipin Kataria, who witnessed the incident, said around 50 students and some parents were outside the gate when the incident took place.
"I was about to enter the school premises when the tree, which appeared to be in a bad shape, fell," said Kataria. "The children and parents started running amok as the tree fell to the ground."
Kataria said there were three girls standing directly under the tree. "Had it not been for the vehicles parked there, they could have been crushed," he said.
Principal of the school, Vinita D'Souza, said the school was in constant touch with the local civic authorities, regarding dilapidated trees that pose a safety hazard to students.
"There are two more huge trees in our compound which need urgent trimming," she said.