Maharashtra child who survived crash becomes media darling

A bubbly three-year old girl, who miraculously survived without major injuries after she was crushed under the wheels of a MUV, has become the darling of the local media and the people of this temple town in north Maharashtra.

Zoya M. Khan was brutally run over by the front and rear wheels of a huge multi-utility vehicle (MUV) on June 18, but barring minor internal injuries, she is normal, said doctors at the Chaitanya Hospital.

The incident came to light on Thursday after footage of a CCTV recording of Rahnuma Urdu School made its way to the social media and television channels.

The videos of that afternoon incident, which have since gone viral, show the horrifying accident and little Zoya following her mother Shireen Khan who is seen crossing the road.

As Zoya ran behind her hurrying mother, a white MUV parked nearby suddenly starts moving, apparently unaware of the little girl right ahead.

Before anybody could react, the MUV crushed Zoya under the front wheel and then the second wheel also ran over her and she lay there like a mangled rag doll, appearing like a Ramadan tragedy for the lower-middle-class Muslim family.

Sensing something amiss and the resultant commotion, Shireen turned around, screamed and picked up her daughter who appeared listless.

The MUV driver, who has not been identified, was forced by the pedestrians to rush the injured child to Chaitanya Hospital where a team of doctors, including A. Jadhav, B. Borole and N. Pardeship, recommended surgery for some lung problems due to the accident.

However, Zoya has the rare A-Negative blood group, compelling the doctors to consider other regular treatment options.

To the utter disbelief of the medical team, within barely 24 hours, Zoya responded marvelously to the regular treatment for a minor lung injury, a liver laceration and a small external wound in the abdomen.

After remaining under observation a couple of days more, a completely normal Zoya was discharged and returned to the loving arms of her father Muzaffar, three elder sisters and grandparents, concerned neighbours and relatives.

Nearly a fortnight after her "crush with death" when the CCTV videos made their way to the media, she became a heroine, lionized by one and all, with people coming from other towns for her glimpse.

The family decided against booking the MUV owners after he agreed to foot all of Zoya's medical bills and related expenses.