A builder died after collapsing and hitting his head on the pavement while walking to the shops in Glasgow. Ravinder Kumar had just finished a shift on a construction site on June 11 when the tragic incident unfolded.
The 33-year-old was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in a coma and put on a ventilator after suffering a serious head injury and internal bleeding in the fall. After two days, his cousin Ravi was told by medics that he would not regain consciousness and could not be saved.
Ravi was asked to contact Ravinder's parents in Patiala in the Punjab area of India to find out if they would like to turn off the life-support machine. Speaking to the Record, the 49-year-old said: "It is a decision that no parents should ever have to make. He was their only son and they were so happy he was making a life for himself in Scotland. They were so proud of him. It was a harrowing phone call to have to make and they were completely devastated."
Through tears, they decided the best thing was for him not to suffer and pass away peacefully. They are completely heartbroken by this; it is such a senseless thing to have happened. "We are still waiting for the hospital to tell us what the underlying issue was for Ravinder to have collapsed in the street like that. He was a young man with no underlying health conditions so it is just really hard for everyone to take in. He had just finished his work and was on his way to the local shop and his life was taken away from him in an instant."
Ravinder moved to Scotland in March 2023 and stayed with Ravi while he looked for work. He found employment in England later that year and moved to Birmingham for two years, where he met a woman and entered into a relationship. However, when that ended, Ravinder was desperate to return to Scotland and moved back in March when he found work at the building site. Ravi said: "Ravinder loved Scotland and wanted to settle down here so it was great when he returned. He had a big future ahead of him and now it has been cut short. He was such a lovely guy and so polite and nice to anyone he met so it is just completely overwhelming for me and all of the family."
They are going to bring his body back to India so his parents can see him for one last time before he is buried there surrounded by family and friends. Ravi has created a fundraiser to repatriate his cousin's body back to India and help the family with funeral costs.
