Shrusti makes Thorats smile

Shrusti makes Thorats smile
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Regaining consciousness on Monday, Shrusti Thorat who survived the accident that killed the rest of her family, smiled at doctors and asked for her parents.
“I had no answer and simply told her that they would be coming soon. I don’t know how long I will be able to hide the truth from her,” said Rupesh Thorat, her uncle, consternation writ large on his face.
Four-year-old Shrusti was unconscious at the Goa Medical College ICU since last Monday. In the grief the Thorat family is going through — they have lost their son Sunil, 35, his wife Jyoti, 30, and their six-month-old son Vinayak — Shrusti’s innocent smile on Monday came as a soothing salve.
“She was her father’s darling and very attached to him. She would miss him terribly whenever he went out for long,” said Rupesh.
Doctors said that Shrusti, admitted to GMC in a critical condition with severe head and chest injuries, is better. “Though she is under post-traumatic stress, she is conscious and her condition is improving,” doctors said. She was taken off the ventilator and shifted to the neuro surgery ward on Tuesday afternoon. Doctors said that Shrusti doesn’t seem to remember much about the moments before the deadly collision.
Describing Shrusti as a stubborn and mischievous girl, an emotional Rupesh said, “She is a fighter. Even at home, if she felt she was right, she would argue till she drove her point home.” It is, perhaps, the same fighting spirit that helped little Shrusti fight death. Shrusti was admitted to the GMC after her family, heading home to Mollem met with an accident at Palaskatta, Sukhtolem in Mollem. Thorats yet to get over shock
Panaji: Shrusti Thorat, the little girl who survived the fatal mishap that killed the rest of her family, has been taken off the ventilator and ever since, she’s been crying for her parents.
In the accident that took place last week, Sunil, who was driving the car in which the family was travelling, lost control and crashed into a tipper truck carrying iron ore and proceeding to Usgao, Tisk. Police said that Sunil was over speeding and the impact of the accident damaged the front portion of the car and the tipper.
Recollecting the events of that Monday evening, Rupesh said his family is yet to recover from the shock. “Sunil was the obedient son, who listened to my father and handled all his tasks. My father is yet to recover from the shock and is being treated by a doctor. We hope that news of Shrusti’s recovery will act like a balm for him,” said Rupesh.
Sunil, the younger of the family was living with his parents and ran a grocery shop in Mollem and rented out jeeps to tourists visiting Dudhsagar. His family said that this was not the first time Sunil had met with a collision at the same spot. “He collided with a motorcycle in 2005, but both walked away with minor knee injuries. After that he rarely drove and on Monday, he had driven when the accident occurred,” said Rupesh.

September 24, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition