Mumbai: Distracted using navigation app, motorcyclist crushes boy’s big toe

The doctors could not save the toe

A nine-year-old boy's left big toe was crushed after being hit by a motorcyclist who was using his mobile phone to navigate while riding his bike.

The incident took place around 6.30 pm on Wednesday when the boy was standing on the side of a road in Powai.

The accused, identified as Mohammad Parvez Sheikh, 25, was detained by members of the public.

A police officer said, "Sheikh's motorcycle hit the boy, causing him to fall and severely injure his toe."

He added that local residents, along with the boy's mother, rushed him to hospital where doctors said that his toe had been crushed completely.

Sheikh was also taken to the hospital, and was subsequently arrested by the Powai police.

He is a resident of Bandra and was proceeding to Powai when the accident occurred.

Authorities have charged him under Sections 125(B), 184, and 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act for dangerous driving and using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing, and the accused remains in custody, the police said.

The boy's father, who is a daily wage labourer, told mid-day that the biker was engrossed in checking his mobile when he hit the child.

"I rushed him to hospital but his toe could not be saved; it was damaged permanently," he said.