Runners and joggers protest outside the Shivaji Park police station after a woman, Rajalakshmi Krishnan, was killed by a speeding car while she was on her morning run near Worli Dairy on Sunday. A 42-year-old woman, the chief executive officer (CEO) of a technology company, and an avid jogger, died on her morning run early on Sunday morning, after being hit by a speeding car at a spot along the Worli promenade.
The 23-year-old driver of the speeding vehicle, Sumer Merchant, was reportedly on his way to drop off two friends who live in the suburbs, when he allegedly lost control of the wheel. The vehicle, which was being driven at 120 km/hour, first hit the victim and then rammed into a divider, according to Worli Police. The jogger, Rajalakshmi Ramakrishnan, was flung almost 20 feet away, resulting in her death on the spot. Rajalakshmi had been a regular jogger for the past 17 years. She, along with her husband Vijay, and her friends from the Shivaji Park Joggers’ Group, would run from the NCPA at Nariman Point–Girgaum Chowpatty–Worli Sea Face, ending at Shivaji Park in Dadar. The Mahalakshmi Racecourse also figures on the joggers’ route at times. According to the Worli police, around 6.30am, locals alerted the on-duty police officers at a nakabandi, minutes away from the accident spot. Merchant, who was driving a Tata Nexon EV, allegedly lost control of his speeding car and hit Rajalakshmi, who was running on the northbound side. She was flung into the air and tossed almost 20 feet away, which caused her instant death, sources said.After hitting the victim, the vehicle then rammed into a divider before coming to a halt. The entire vehicle, including the windshield and doors, was in a shattered state. Rajalakshmi was first taken to Nair Hospital by the police, where she was declared dead before arrival by the doctors. Later, the body was taken to Podar Hospital for post mortem, police said.