A Indian-origin engineer, aged 30, died and his wife was also critically injured when a minivan driver ploughed into them from behind in the city of Columbus. Anshul Sharma died on the spot of the accident, while his 28 years old wife Samira Bharadwaj was severely injured in the accident on Sunday evening. Police said that the couple were hit by an intoxicated minivan driver when they were walking on a buffered bike lane. They were from the Columbus city of Indiana. In the meantime, the police have arrested a 36 years old man by the name Michael Demaio and criminal charges were filed against him.

As per the reports in the Republic newspaper, Demaio was driving a red Chrysler minivan when he hit the Indian couple from behind near the Four Seasons Retirement Centre in Columbus. The accused reportedly fled the scene after the accident. Sharma was declared dead at the scene by the Bartholomew Country Coroner Clayton Noting even as his wife was taken to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in the Indianapolis where she is being treated and still in a critical condition.

According to the police report, Demaio, who is now in the county jail, faces several preliminary charges that include failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, failure to stop after an accident resulting in the injury, operating while intoxicated resulting in death and also operating while intoxicated resulting in injury.

However, police could not ascertain the speed of the minivan when it hit the couple. But they said that the speed limit in that stretch of the road is 35 miles per hour. They also added that it was daylight when the couple was hit by the minivan driver.

The police noted that the accused also ‘failed several field sobriety exercises’.
Demaio’s minivan was found with extensive damage to its hood along with the cracked windshield. Police seems to have narrowed down on the minivan in a driveway in the 2000 block of the Chandler Lane, that is situated east of the accident scene. The accused was present inside the Chandler Lane residence when he was taken into the custody.

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Meanwhile, Noting listed Sharma’s death as homicide, adding that he was killed due to a blunt force trauma to his head and upper cervical spine. Sharma’s wife continues to be in the critical condition at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, the report said. Family and relatives of Sharma have continued their efforts to take his body back to India and also to support Bharadwaj.

According to the Republic, the executive director of Four Seasons Rebecca Stenner said her staff members reported that some person had come into the retirement community office on Sunday and also said that a couple had been hit and urged to dial 911.

The Columbus Police also seem to have gained information about the driver through an unidentified witness has led the officials to nab him.

Thanking the witnesses, the police said that, if the witness had not called then the authorities could have been left in dark about the clues.

Mrudula Duddempudi.