- A pregnant Indian woman was killed in a car crash in Sydney while taking a walk with her family
- A speeding BMW rear-ended a Kia that was letting the family cross, pushing it forward
- The woman suffered fatal injuries; neither she nor her unborn child survived the impact
A 33-year-old pregnant Indian woman, who was weeks away from giving birth to her second child, has been killed in a horrific car crash in Australia's Sydney. Samanvitha Dhareshwar, who was eight months pregnant, was taking a walk with her husband and three-year-old son when the tragedy struck last week, according to police.
Police said that a Kia Carnival car had slowed to let Dhareshwar and her family cross the footpath along George St in Hornsby at about 8 pm on Friday, when a speeding BMW rear-ended it. The impact pushed the Kia car forward, hitting Dhareshwar as she crossed a car park entrance.
Police said Dhareshwar suffered catastrophic injuries in the accident and was immediately rushed to Westmead Hospital, but sadly, neither she nor her unborn child could be saved.
The luxury BMW was reportedly being driven by Aaron Papazoglu, a 19-year-old P-plater (driver who has a provisional or probationary licence). Drivers of the BMW and Kia cars, however, escaped without injuries," police said.
It is not known if Dhareshwar's husband and her three-year-old child suffered any injuries in the crash.
According to her LinkedIn, Dhareshwar was a qualified IT systems analyst, specialising in business application administration and support. She was working as a test analyst for Alsco uniforms.
Police said the driver of the BMW car was later arrested at his Wahroonga home. He has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death, and causing the loss of a foetus.
He was presented before a magistrate, who denied him bail, citing the seriousness of the matter.
He will likely be tried under Zoe's Law, enacted in New South Wales (NSW) in 2022. The law allows for harsher penalties for crimes that cause the death of an unborn child, with offenders facing up to three extra years in prison on top of the underlying sentence for dangerous or negligent driving if convicted.
