Mumbai (Desk), Aug 10, 2025 : A 49-year-old woman from Maharashtra’s Palghar district lost her life after an ambulance rushing her to Mumbai got trapped in a massive traffic jam on National Highway 48. The tragic death of Chhaya Purav has thrown a harsh spotlight on two pressing issues — the lack of critical healthcare infrastructure in Palghar and the severe, recurring traffic snarls that choke NH-48.

A Routine Day Turns Fatal
On July 31, Chhaya Purav was standing near her home in Madhukar Nagar when a tree branch unexpectedly fell on her. The impact left her with serious injuries to her ribs, shoulders, and head. She was taken to a local hospital in Palghar, but without a trauma care facility in the district, doctors referred her to Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai — around 100 km away.

She was administered anaesthesia for the journey, and at around 3 pm, the ambulance set off with her husband, Kaushik, by her side. Normally, the trip takes about 2.5 hours. But on this day, the couple’s hopes for a timely arrival were dashed.

The Jam That Stopped Everything
By 6 pm — more than three hours after leaving Palghar — the ambulance had covered only half the distance. Stuck in a gridlock caused by wrong-side driving and pothole-ridden stretches, the vehicle inched forward painfully slowly. As the anaesthesia began wearing off, Ms Purav’s agony grew unbearable.

“The road was full of potholes. Every bump made her scream. She kept begging to reach a hospital quickly,” Kaushik told NDTV. “I saw her in pain for four hours, and there was nothing I could do.”

With her condition worsening rapidly, the ambulance diverted to Orbit Hospital in Mira Road, still 30 km short of Hinduja Hospital. It was nearly 7 pm when they arrived — but doctors declared her dead on arrival.

A Life That Could Have Been Saved
According to Kaushik, doctors told him that she might have survived had they reached just 30 minutes earlier. The grief-stricken husband is now left replaying those lost minutes in his mind — minutes swallowed by poor road conditions and chaotic traffic.

“She was crying, screaming in pain. We tried everything. But we were stuck. People driving from the wrong side made it worse,” he said.

Wider Issues Exposed
The tragedy has reignited debate over NH-48’s chronic congestion and the lack of emergency preparedness in such situations. Locals and regular commuters describe the highway as a “nightmare” due to poor maintenance, heavy vehicle flow, and reckless driving patterns.

Equally troubling is the absence of a trauma care centre in Palghar, forcing critically injured patients to undertake long, often life-threatening journeys to Mumbai.

As the Purav family mourns, questions loom large: How many more lives must be lost before infrastructure and traffic management catch up with the needs of the people?

For now, Chhaya Purav’s death is a grim reminder that sometimes, survival depends not on medical expertise, but on the road between the patient and the hospital.