Thu Feb 27 08:36:19 UTC 2025: ## Indian Student Battles for Life After Hit-and-Run in California, Family Desperately Seeks Visas

**Sacramento, California/Satara, Maharashtra –** A 35-year-old Indian student, Nilam Tanaji Shinde, is fighting for her life in a California hospital after a hit-and-run accident left her in a coma. Ms. Shinde, a fourth-year student at California State University, was struck from behind while taking an evening walk on February 14th. She suffered severe injuries to her head, chest, arms, and legs.

Ms. Shinde’s family in Satara, Maharashtra, learned of the accident two days later from her roommate. The C Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she is in the ICU, has urgently requested the family’s presence to obtain permission for life-saving surgery. However, the family is struggling to obtain US visas in time.

“We got to know about the accident on February 16th and have been trying for a visa since then, but we haven’t got it yet,” said her father, Tanaji Madhav Shinde. The family is appealing to the Indian government for expedited visa processing.

While the driver responsible for the accident is in police custody, legal hurdles prevent authorities from fully investigating the case without a blood relative present.

There has been some positive news. Ms. Shinde’s uncle, Sanjay Kadam, reported a slight improvement in her condition on Thursday. “Brain pressure has reduced, and her blood pressure is normal, but she is still in a coma,” he told NDTV.

Ms. Shinde’s situation is further complicated by the recent loss of her mother to a brain tumour last year. The family’s desperate plea highlights the challenges faced by families seeking to support loved ones undergoing medical emergencies abroad.

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