Mumbai 14-year-old Aarika Srivastav dies after tree falls on autorickshaw
Aarika Srivastav, 14 at the time of the crash, died on May 17 at age 15 after a tree crashed onto the autorickshaw she was riding in Mumbai on May 10.
She was traveling with her sister Manasvi and friend Harshita Kumar. Manasvi had minor injuries, while Aarika and Harshita were seriously hurt.
Aarika was declared brain-dead three days later and passed away three days after her 15th birthday.
Mother urges stronger monsoon tree maintenance
Aarika's mother, Binal Srivastav, is urging authorities to step up tree maintenance during monsoon season so accidents like this do not happen again.
She spoke warmly of Aarika's big dreams (studying at IIT, MIT, and working at NASA) and asked thoughtfully, "Development is necessary. Roads have to be built. Projects have to happen. But should development come at the cost of our children?"