A glance through the open door Tuesday afternoon revealed a broken man, slumped in a chair and staring straight ahead.
Answering the door of their ramshackle apartment at 170 N. Hollywood on Tuesday afternoon, the family of Santi Ram Bhujel said he didn’t want to talk after the tragic incident that killed his wife, San Maya, on Monday.
It’s doubtful any words could have been more expressive than that haunting image.
“When I talked to these people, it just broke my heart,” said Jill Berry, whose company manages the Woodcrest apartment complex where the Bhujels live. “It’s so sad.”
The tragedy began just after 9:30 a.m. Monday, according to a witness. The Bhujels, in their blue Camry, were at the office in the apartment complex, ready to pay their rent.
According to police, Bhujel said he put the Camry in reverse and accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
The car shot backward, hitting another car as well as Bhujel’s wife and another woman. The car kept going, smashing a hole through an apartment. That hole was covered with plywood Tuesday.
“It sounded like ‘Boom!’ Loud,” said 19-year-old Tika Khadka, who lives in the building that was hit. “When I came here, she was under the car.”
The second woman wasn’t seriously injured, but San Maya was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition. The 45-year-old woman later succumbed to her injuries.
Police are investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed.
“The husband was backing up, and something happened. The mom got caught between the car and apartment building,” said Mike Allen of Catholic Charities, the group that helped resettle the Bhujels in Memphis from their native country, Nepal.
The Bhujels and their two daughters made their way here in 2010, Allen said. Like many other immigrants, including some from Nepal, they settled in the Woodcrest apartments.
The blue Camry was still parked in the lot Tuesday, fresh white paint scarring the dents in its trunk.
On Tuesday afternoon, the small apartment in Building A was filled with mourners to comfort the stricken Bhujel.
A family friend opened the door, allowing a glimpse of the broken man. She spoke to the family for a minute or two, then graciously declined to talk about the incident.
She then closed the door, leaving that man and his children with their grief.
Courtesy : www.commercialappeal.com
