man sleep walks to death through 2nd floor window

Man sleepwalks to death through 2nd-floor window

Parents of 21-yr-old Mulund resident Sagar Chetri saw him walk out of the window, but he was gone before they could catch him

Ankita Menon
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Posted On Friday, May 13, 2011 at 03:06:24 AM

For the past many years, family and friends of Sagar Chetri teased him about his sleepwalking. Today, they are disconsolate.

At 4.15 am on Wednesday, 21-year-old Sagar sleepwalked out of the window of his second-floor flat in Mahavir Shikhar Society, Mulund (W). He did not survive the fall.

For Sagar’s parents, grief has turned into guilt. All three were sleeping in the same room. Sagar’s parents told the police that they woke up hearing commotion, and lunged towards their son, but couldn’t stop his fall.

Sagar’s father Shantilal told officers from Mulund Police Station, “Sagar sleepwalked for the past seven years. On his doctor’s advice, we always took precautions, such as keeping dangerous items out of the room and keeping doors locked. On Tuesday night, we forgot to shut the window. We saw him fall. My wife is numbed with shock, and we are feeling guilty we couldn’t save our son.”

Sagar was a third-year Information Technology student at Gyansadhna College in Thane. Senior Inspector Ishwar Shinde said, “Sagar’s parents told us they tried catching him. Apart from his parents, there is another eyewitness.”

Mumbai Mirror spoke to this eyewitness, who lives in the same building. Requesting anonymity, he said, “I had returned from the night shift. I heard a scream and saw a man lying in the pool of blood. I am unable to sleep since.” When this correspondent visited the housing society, Sagar’s parents were in no position to speak, and the neighbours were helping them with the last rites.

His friends said Sagar died while on the way to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.

They said he could have been saved had local nursing homes in Mulund not turned him away. His friend Hanisha Desai said, “It’s bizarre, something we still can’t believe. His parents told us that hospitals in Mulund didn’t admit him, saying it’s a police case. Timely treatment could have saved him.”

Sagar’s parents told the police that they woke up hearing commotion, and lunged towards their son, but couldn’t stop his fall

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a disorder categorised under parasomnia. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness.

These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, extremely violent gestures, grabbing at hallucinated objects, or even homicide.

Sleepwalkers often have little or no memory of the incidents, as they are not truly conscious. Sleepwalking may last as little as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes.

Treatment

There are some drugs that can be prescribed for sleepwalkers, but doctors mostly advise putting away dangerous items and locking doors and windows before sleep to reduce risks of harmful activity.

There are conflicting viewpoints on whether it is harmful to wake a sleepwalker. Some experts say that sleepwalkers should be gently guided back to bed without waking them. Others counter that idea and state that waking a sleepwalker may result in their disorientation, but it is not harmful.