Indian woman, 8-month pregnant, killed after BMW slams into car in Sydney

A 33-year-old pregnant Indian woman, just weeks away from delivering her second child, was killed in a devastating car crash in Sydney.

Samanvitha Dhareshwar, who was eight months' pregnant, had been out for an evening walk with her husband and three-year-old son when the incident occurred last Friday, police said.

According to investigators, a Kia Carnival had slowed down to allow the family to cross the footpath on George Street in Hornsby around 8 pm when a speeding BMW slammed into the back of it. The force of the collision pushed the Kia forward, striking Dhareshwar as she walked across the entrance to a car park.

She sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Westmead Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her or her unborn child.

Police identified the BMW driver as 19-year-old Aaron Papazoglu, a P-plate driver. Both he and the driver of the Kia escaped injury. Authorities have not confirmed whether Dhareshwar’s husband or young son were hurt.

Dhareshwar’s LinkedIn profile shows she was an experienced IT systems analyst specialising in business application administration and support and was employed as a test analyst at Alsco Uniforms.

Papazoglu was later arrested at his home in Wahroonga and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death and causing the loss of a foetus. A magistrate denied him bail due to the severity of the allegations.

The case is expected to proceed under Zoe’s Law, introduced in New South Wales in 2022. The legislation allows for harsher penalties when an unborn child is killed as a result of criminal actions, adding up to three years to the sentence for dangerous or negligent driving if the accused is convicted.