Biker doctor from city dies in Surat mishap

MUMBAI: A city plastic surgeon and avid biker died on Monday evening while riding his Triumph Thunderbird Storm through a district road near Surat. Dr Bijoy Methil (44), who was attached to leading hospitals in the city, swerved his powerful bike to avoid jaywalkers when it skidded and he was thrown across the divider.
His fellow rider, Jay Shah, who was almost 3km behind, found him a few minutes later and took him to a hospital with the help of a few locals.But it took them more than 30 minutes to reach the nursing home, where he was declared dead on arrival. Onlookers told Jay that a heavy vehicle had hit Methil after he fell from his bike around 7.30pm.

Biking enthusiasts on Tuesday said the accident underlined the lack of traffic sense among Indians as well as the poor conditions of most roads. Methil, who specialised in microvascular and cosmetic reconstruction, had taken up long-distance biking about four years ago and had biked up to Khardung La, Spiti Valley, in Ladakh. “He was not a reckless biker. He was never reckless about anything in life,” said a friend.
Dr Methil and Shah had done the Mumbai-Udaipur trip, along with six other bikers, last week. On Monday, the duo decided to return earlier than the rest, and left Udaipur around 11am on Monday. They were at Kosumba en route to Surat when the accident took place.
Dr Saalim Shaikh, a close friend, said Dr Methil offered free medical services to leprosy patients at Vimala Charitable Hospital, Versova. “He preferred to celebrate birthdays and special occasions at Vimala,” said Dr Shaikh. He is survived by wife Dr Anju and children Aditya (17) and Aanya (8). His friends said he had signed up as an organ donor, but donation was not possible due to the requirement of a post-mortem examination and other delays.
His body has been kept at the Cooper Hospital morgue for his sibling to reach the city. His funeral will be held at the Oshiwara crematorium on Wednesday.
Dr Methil was a consultant plastic surgeon at Jaslok and Saifee Hospitals in south Mumbai and had his own clinic in Lokhandwala, Andheri (west).
Meanwhile, Dr Amol Manerkar from Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, who too is a biking enthusiast, said that riding through small towns and villages is often perilous as “people seemingly come out of nowhere” to cross roads. “People have no traffic sense. At times, while relieving themselves in the bushes or shrubs, they suddenly step onto the road,” he said.