Former Bigg Boss Tamil contestant and Kollywood actor Yashika Aanand survived a near fatal accident last month. One of her friends died on the spot, while the actor was severely injured. They were travelling and met with an accident on East Coast Road in Chennai on Saturday, 24 July.
Now, in an interview with The Hindu, Yashika explained the events that panned out over the last few days.
“Pavani is my best friend; she used to be a model, but later gave that up to go abroad and work as an engineer. She’d flown down to India this year to spend time with her parents in Hyderabad, and then came to Chennai to meet me.”
Yashika added, “On 24 July (Saturday), four of us had driven to a resort to have dinner. We left the place at around 11 pm, and were returning to the city when the accident happened. I was the one driving my Tata Harrier, but I definitely wasn’t speeding".
Yashika then spoke at length what exactly occurred.
“The road was dark and I unfortunately hit the divider. Our car drifted sharply and then toppled over three times. Pavani was sitting next to me but she hadn’t fastened her seatbelt, and the window was open. So when the car toppled, she was flung out of the window and fell outside, hitting her head. The rest of us were inside the car, but the doors were jammed and we had to break open the sunroof to escape.”Yashika Aanand, Actor
“Within minutes, a huge crowd had gathered. I wasn’t able to even stand up. We were all shifted to the hospital. Only when I recovered I got the news that Pavani had passed away,” she continued.
Yashika reiterated that she wasn't drunk. “I have to stress: I was not drunk or intoxicated, or using drugs of any kind. It was an unfortunate accident that happened because of a moment’s lapse in concentration. And for that, I take full responsibility. I’m wrecked by the guilt of staying alive, and now I have to live forever with this. But that doesn’t mean I’m accepting everything that is said about me on social media. There’s even a fake video of us circulating with people claiming I was drunk-driving".
Yashika told the publication that after Pavani’s funeral in Hyderabad, she spoke to her parents. “I was discharged from the hospital recently, and I have several fractures, which means I won’t be able to stand up or walk properly for around six months. I am physically and mentally a mess, and I am going to attend PTSD counselling to try and recover from this somehow. I wanted to post a video online explaining everything, but I’m in no position to record myself talking".
Yashika also said that she was going to lose work after this incident. She added that she has been at the receiving end of a lot of abuse and hate and that she wishes the trolls wouldn't attack Pavani's family.
The actor had taken to Instagram on Tuesday, 3 August, to grieve the tragic loss of her friend.
Yashika even posted a health update.
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