SUV backs over, kills tot: Ashland driver didn't see 15-month-old son playing

By Theresa Edo / News Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 10, 2003

ASHLAND -- A 15-month-old boy is dead after being struck by a vehicle driven by his mother.

Konaal Tewary of 15 Independence Lane died yesterday while being flown by helicopter to UMass-Medical Center in Worcester, according to Ashland Police Chief Roy Melnick.

Tewary suffered from head injuries after being struck by a truck driven by his mother, Shalini Tewary, Melnick said.

Crying and wearing a blood-stained shirt, Shalini Tewary was too distraught to talk to a reporter.

The mother apparently did not see her son as she backed her 2003 Acura MDX 4x4 down the family's driveway, Melnick said.

"It appears to be an accident, but it is under investigation," Melnick said.

A relative speaking with local and Massachusetts State Police investigators at the scene said the boy came from the back yard, down the driveway, toward the street.

At the same time the vehicle was backing up from the garage at the right of the driveway.

The boy's father, Asim Tewary, was at work in Connecticut when the accident occurred.

The family's next door neighbor, who declined to give her name, said Konaal was the couple's only son.

"You've never seen anyone else so excited to become a father," she said about Asim. "It's terrifying. You realize it could happen to you."

Other neighbors who declined to give their names said they heard screams, but did not know at first where the noise was coming from. The family's house is on a quiet, newly developed street not yet listed on many Ashland maps.

"I only know them to say hello. They are a nice family," said Stefano Sguazzin, who lives across the street.

Police received the call at 3:19 p.m., said Melnick. Patrol Officer Randy Weld was the first to arrive.

Six police officers and several firefighters, including an ambulance from the Southborough Fire Department, assisted at the scene, according to police Sgt. Scott Rohmer.

Firefighters who responded refused comment. According to Peter Chisholm, assistant public information officer for the department, medical emergencies involving children are always hard for rescue workers to endure.

"The guys are pretty shaken up today," Chisholm said.