8-Month Pregnant Indian Woman Killed in Sydney BMW Crash; Teen Driver Charged
Sydney (The Uttam Hindu): A tragic accident in Sydney has claimed the life of a 33-year-old Indian-origin woman, who was just weeks away from delivering her second child. Samanvitha Dhareshwar, eight months pregnant, was out for an evening walk with her husband and three-year-old son when she was struck and fatally injured in a horrific crash last Friday.
According to Australian police, the incident occurred around 8 pm on George Street in Hornsby. A Kia Carnival had slowed down to allow Dhareshwar and her family to cross a footpath when a speeding BMW slammed into the back of the Kia. The force of the impact pushed the Kia forward, hitting Dhareshwar at the entrance of a nearby car park.
She sustained catastrophic injuries and was rushed to Westmead Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical teams, both she and her unborn child could not be saved. Police have not yet confirmed whether her husband or their three-year-old child suffered injuries.
Authorities identified the BMW driver as 19-year-old Aaron Papazoglu, who was on a provisional licence. Both the BMW and Kia drivers escaped unhurt. Police arrested Papazoglu at his home in Wahroonga and charged him with dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving causing death, and causing the loss of a foetus.
A magistrate denied him bail due to the severity of the charges. The case is expected to proceed under Zoe’s Law, introduced in New South Wales in 2022. The law allows for stricter penalties when an unborn child is killed due to criminal negligence, adding up to three extra years to a convict’s sentence in cases involving dangerous or negligent driving.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Dhareshwar was a qualified IT systems analyst with expertise in business application support. She was working as a test analyst for Alsco Uniforms at the time of her death.
The incident has left the Indian community in Sydney shaken, as tributes continue to pour in for the young mother whose evening walk turned into an unimaginable tragedy.