Indian-American doctor, mother of 5, dies in Houston car crash
Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Dec, 2022 02:52 PM
New York, Dec 13 (IANS) An Indian-American doctor, dancer, and a mother of five children died on the spot after her car was hit by a speeding motorcycle in Houston city of Texas, media reports said.
Mini Vettical, 52, a native of Ramamangalam in Kerala, was on her way home from work when she died in a crash in southeast Houston at around 4 pm on December 7, KHOU 11, a Houston-based TV channel, reported.
She was a faculty member at Baylor University and worked primarily at Harris Health clinics.
"Dr Vettical was devoted to caring for the underprivileged and underserved in Harris County at multiple health centers. The Baylor Family Medicine community is in shock and disbelief. Her beloved personality will be tremendously missed by faculty and staff. She leaves a gap that is hard to fill among her colleagues and patients," a Baylor University statement read.
In addition to medically helping underserved populations throughout Houston, Vettical was actively involved in organisations like Pratham Houston and the Houston Area Women's Center. She was also a class volunteer and involved in the church and dancing theatre.
Vettical is survived by her husband and five children.
Pooja Vettical, the eldest of the five kids, told KHOU 11 that no matter how much Vettical had on her plate, "she always made time for her most important job of all - being a mom".
According to her obituary posted on the Dignity Memorial website, Vettical was born in Kuwait in 1970, and received her medical degree from the University of Texas. She specialised in Internal Medicine.
Her funeral was held on Monday at Houston's St Anne Catholic Church.
Dr. Fahad Razak, who headed up the recently disbanded group of scientists advising Ontario's government on COVID-19, says coronavirus variants have traditionally cropped up during the fall and winter, leading to a surge in cases and deaths. He says it stands to reason that could happen again this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lands later today as part of a Canadian delegation that includes Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and four former prime ministers. Hundreds of thousands of members of the public are expected to travel to London for the funeral, as well as dozens of other world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden.
A stuffed Paddington Bear was also among the tokens that were piling up at the base of trees that line the road to the palace, where thousands of people had gathered to pay their respects as of Friday afternoon. Canadian Peter Crooks, who was in London on vacation with his family, was among the visitors at the scene. He said he was honoured to pay his respects despite the sad occasion.
Since Pakistan government has sent out a global appeal to the international community for extended and immediate relief aid supplies to handle the widespread damages, flood rescue and relief activities, several countries have been extending monetary and relief aids with planes carrying flood relief supplies to coordinate with the government to manage the massive humanitarian crisis.
The Prime Minister has made it clear with officials that the unbuttoned collars and laid-back atmosphere in Downing Street both left with Boris Johnson, Daily Mail reported. During Johnson's time at No 10, he was often viewed as a scruffy dresser and his controversial chief of staff Dominic Cummings was notorious for wearing shabby outfits.
Over 1.1 million houses have been damaged and some 560,000 houses have been destroyed. Over 630,000 men, women and children are reportedly living in relief camps across Pakistan, most of them in Sindh. Many more displaced people are living with host communities.
