TimesView The deaths have raised serious questions on the city’s trauma care systems and protocols. Why should grievously injured accident victims be shunted between multiple hospitals? Why was the patient referred without being stabilised? It seems despite reaching a hospital within the Golden Hour, their lives could not be saved. Such incidents call for serious inquiries as, besides fixing accountability, it will also pinpoint flaws in the system.

MUMBAI: A 24-year-old road accident victim from Chandivli allegedly bled to death after being tossed between municipal hospitals early on Friday, prompting his family to demand an inquiry by the civic authorities. Rahul Saroj and his friend Vishnu Soni (20), who was riding pillion, died hours apart from each other. While Saroj went to two hospitals seeking treatment, Soni’s family went to five and still lost him.Saroj and Soni’s two-wheeler was allegedly hit by a truck on JVLR around 12.30am on Friday. Police reached the spot and rushed them to civic-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar by 1am. While Saroj’s legs were badly injured, his right leg was crushed. Soni too suffered injuries to his lower limbs.Saroj’s father, Mahendra, said policemen had to plead with Rajawadi doctors to initiate treatment. “They plastered his right leg and referred him to Sion Hospital, saying he could not be treated there. We reached Sion after 1.30am. My son was bleeding from his left leg too and crying in pain. Not only did the doctors show no urgency, they started telling us referrals cannot be admitted because of a space crunch,” said the father.Mahendra said after at least 45minutes of “pleading”, a doctor appeared from the emergency ward and told them to sign a form. “My son had fallen silent by then. The form said he was critical and anything could happen to him. They finally took him inside after 3am. It was too late by then. He was declared dead at 4am,” he said. An autopsy at the same hospital said he died of haemorrhagic shock following a crush injury. TOI learnt he had not suffered head injuries which could pose any imminent threat to his life.Soni’s ordeal was worse. His brother-in-law Sunny said they too rushed him to Sion from Rajawadi, as instructed by doctors. “Sion doctors told us to take Soni to KEM. We hurled him at the back of a police van and rushed him to KEM,” he said. Sunny alleged that doctors ran tests and discharged him after treating him on Friday afternoon. But he started feeling uneasy on the way home. “We rushed him to Ashirwad nursing home near Asalfa and then to Holy Spirit, where he died,” he said.He said, “We want to know what was the hurry to discharge him from KEM.” Soni’s post-mortem will be carried out at Rajawadi on Saturday.Sion Hospital officials said since surgical wards and OTs were under renovation, they have written to peripheral hospitals to not refer patients. “Saroj was gasping when he came here. We tried to resuscitate him for 40 minutes.An orthopaedic doctor was summoned as it was a case of polytrauma,” said the official, questioning the referral from Rajawadi.Rajawadi authorities said they would look into details of the case.