Hanan Hameed, who shot to fame after a TV report of her selling fish in her college uniform went viral, met with an accident on Monday after the car she was travelling in rammed into an electric post at Kodungallur in the Thrissur district of Kerala.

The 19-year-old college student is reported to have told Manoramaonline that they were returning from a stage show in Kodungallur when the incident occurred. “As a man crossed the road my driver veered the vehicle to avoid an accident, but our car hit an electric post,” Hanan is reported to have said.

Following the accident, Hanan was immediately rushed to the Modern Multi Specialty Hospital in Thrissur. She was later referred to the Medical Trust Hospital in Ernakulam for expert treatment. An official at the Medical Trust Hospital told TNM that Hanan, who was brought to the hospital around 11:30 am has a spinal injury and that if a surgery is not done, there are chances that she can suffer from a spine fracture.

“She is still being examined and a final diagnosis can only be made after the MRI results come out,” said the official.

Media reports state that the driver of the car has managed to escape with minor injuries.

Hanan Hamid, a graduate student of Chemistry first came into the limelight after she was spotted selling fish in her college uniform by reporters from Mathrubhumi. The Malayalam paper on July 25 published an article detailing her struggles of selling fish while trying to make ends meet. The paper carried a picture of Hanan in her college uniform and a plastic cap, selling fish in the Palarivattom–Thammanam junction in Kochi. The story soon went viral, with many applauding the girl for her grit and attitude to life.

However, many social media users also trolled Hanan, claiming that she was doing all of this for publicity.

More recently, Hanan made news for her decision to donate Rs 1.5 lakh for flood relief in Kerala. Hanan was hailed for donating money that people had sent her to fund her education.