THE ripple effects of a tragic Ferris wheel accident at the Fiji Showcase in 2023 continue to haunt the lives of two families more than two years later.
From a grieving father who passed away waiting for justice, to a mother who required psychiatric help at St Giles Hospital, and a daughter forced to put her studies on hold after undergoing multiple surgeries — the families are still waiting for answers from local authorities to what has become of their case.
The incident that happened in June, 2023, at the Vodafone Arena claimed the life of 21-year-old Komal Kumar and injured mother-daughter duo Ravina and Supriya Reshma.
The trio fell from the moving Ferris wheel when it allegedly picked up speed and the operator lost control of it.
Twenty-eight months later, the family is still searching for answers from the Fiji Police Force, Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
That day in June, 2023, was supposed to be a delightful outing for Komal and Supriya as the latter had just received her passport that morning and was going to study and find employment in Australia to help her family.
Neither of the two best friends could have anticipated the tragedy that awaited them.
According to published reports, the Ferris wheel picked up speed after the first two rounds, and because of the increased momentum, the trio lost their grips on the handle, and the seat became unbalanced.
Supriya was the first to fall. Ms Reshma shouted for the operator’s help, but instead of the ride slowing, it accelerated more, causing her to be thrown backwards while Komal was hurled forward.
Both Supriya and Ms Reshma sustained heavy injuries, with Supriya injuring her right elbow and left wrist, while Komal was later pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Harish Sharma, Supriya’s father told the media that Komal could have been saved had he been allowed to transport the three to the hospital.
“To make things worse, the ambulance took between 45 minutes and an hour to arrive,” Mr Sharma said.
“The police wouldn’t allow me to move close to the scene even though I volunteered to take them to hospital.
“I was very worried, but I was told to wait for the ambulance.”
St John Ambulance Services refuted these claims by Mr Sharma, saying that an ambulance was dispatched when the call was received and it arrived on the scene five to 10 minutes after.
The ripple effects of the incident continued to impact both families even two years later.
For Komal’s family, the pain of losing their daughter, coupled with the endless wait for authorities to charge the entity or person responsible for her death was too much for her father and he also passed away.
“She was his pet because she was the youngest,” Komal’s mother Sunita Wati told The Fiji Times team last month.
“When he was alive, we went to Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad and he told us that he will talk to Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Minister Agni Deo Singh.
“But until now nothing has been done.”
She said when her husband passed away, he had left some money in his bank account, but this too has been exhausted.
“We have been using the money. I am a stroke patient; I got diagnosed recently.
“We have a taxi business, but it needs repair and someone to drive it.”
Airing her frustration, Ms Wati said it was taking forever to get answers from the relevant authorities, but this wouldn’t be the case if the victim was the family member of a Parliamentarian or senior government official.
“Firstly, if this was the Bainimarama government in power, the case would have been solved.
“Or, if it was one of the minister’s family.”
Supriya and Ms Sharma weren’t spared from the aftermath of the incident.
Speaking to The Fiji Times, Supriya’s father Harish Sharma said his daughter had to undergo two surgeries on her hand, but it has lost some basic functions, affecting her ability to perform practical tasks.
He said Supriya, who was enrolled at Corpus Christi Teachers Training College at the time of the incident, had to put her education on hold for two years as she was in no condition to attend school.
“She had to take a two-year break but was able to graduate last year in December.
“Currently, she’s doing her practical at Nabua Primary School teaching kindergarten.”
To make it worse for her, she was not able to fulfill her dreams of studying in Australia.
For his wife, Ms Sharma, she had to undergo checkups at St Giles Psychiatric Hospital for about 11 months because of the trauma she experienced from the incident.
“She started hallucinating, started seeing things and I had to take her to St Giles.
“She was given prescribed medicines, but it did not seem to be working. One of the doctors then advised us to take her out to meet friends, families, and go places and meet new people.
“So, I thought that the best thing to do was to get her to have a public service vehicle (PSV) licence. Currently, she drives a taxi, and she has recovered.”
Mr Sharma said to make matters worse, three months before the incident he was in India for a heart surgery and was recovering when his wife and daughter got injured.
When questioned, police and the Ministry of Employment both confirmed that reports had been submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Questions sent to the ODPP remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
