News Room
3 OF A FAMILY KILLED IN E-WAY ACCIDENT
Date: Oct 29, 2015
Three people were killed while two are battling for life following an accident on the Mumbai-Pune expressway on Sunday night. The victims are residents of Nerul.
The accident took place around 8.45pm. The deceased have been identified as Chandramurti Iyer, 60, Vaidehi Iyer, 47, and her husband Srinivasan, 52. Those injured are Ramamurthi Iyer, 65, Chandramurthi’s husband, and the driver Shankar Balasubramaniam. Srinivasan and Ramamurthi are brothers.
Srinivasan, a businessman, and his wife, Vaidehi, a homemaker, live in sector 27 of Nerul. They are survived by a 20-year-old son who is studying engineering and a 13-year-old daughter studying in Class 9. Ramamurthi and Chandramurti had recently come from Chennai to attend a family function.
While Ramamurthi has been admitted to Ashtvinayak Hospital in New Panvel, Shankar has been admitted to Panacea hospital in New Panvel. The police said their condition is critical.
Gajanan Ghadge, the assistant police inspector of Panvel city police station, said, “The accident happened at Shivkar village in Panvel. The driver seems to have lost control of the Innova car and crashed into the divider.”
He said, “The family had gone to Pandharpur for a day’s pilgrimage on Sunday morning. They were returning when the accident took place.”
The police have booked the driver for negligent driving causing death.
SIX KILLED, 20 INJURED AFTER TEMPO OVERTURNS ON PUNE EXPRESS
Date: 23-5-2019
The victims, from Versova Koliwada, were returning after visiting a temple in Karli near Pune. Survivor says the driver was speeding on a wet road.
Six people, including a couple and the woman’s brothers, were killed and 20 suffered serious injuries after the tempo they were travelling in overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Khopoli late on Sunday night.
Around 30 people, most of whom were from Shiv Galli in Versova Koliwada, were travelling in the vehicle and were returning from an annual pilgrimage to Karli, a town near Pune when the accident occurred around 1.30 am.
One of the survivors, Bhagwan Chamar, lost his 26-year-old son Vishal and daughter-in-law Hauza in the accident. Also among those who died were Hauza’s brothers Gaureya and Dattatreya.
“Almost everyone in the vehicle was asleep but I was awake. It had rained, the road was wet, and the driver was speeding. Suddenly, he applied the brakes and the vehicle overturned.”
Chamar said that at least four people, including his son and daughter-in-law, died on the spot. “The vehicle’s metal parts pierced the bodies. My younger son Aatish suffered slashes in the stomach but Vishal, Hauza and her brother Gaureya died on the spot. Hauza’s younger brother Dattatraye died in hospital,” he said.
In the same neighbourhood is the home of another victim, Viraj Patil, 29. His mother, who decided to not go along at the last moment, hadn’t been told of her son’s death immediately. “We told her that Viraj was OK. But the news spread in the neighbourhood and we had to tell her. She is a widow and had no-one other than Viraj. She is devastated,” sobbed the victim’s cousin, Rakesh Thakur. The sixth victim was identified as Shaila Bangali, 32, whose body was brought to her parents’ home in Shiv Galli.
The injured have been admitted to Ashtvinayak Hospital and MGM Hospital in Panvel. Assistant Inspector Arvind Patil from Raigad Police said that the driver, Roshan Kharat, will be arrested after he is discharged from hospital.
“He has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (a) for causing death due to negligence), 279 (rash driving), and 337 (endangering life or public safety),” Patil said.
5 KILLED, ONE HURT IN ACCIDENT ON EXPRESSWAY
Date: Nov 22, 2010
Five people were killed and one injured in an accident when a vehicle fell into a gorge on the Mumbai-Pune expressway near Panvel on Sunday morning.
The accident occurred between 6 am and 7.30 am on the Chikhli river bridge, around eight km from Panvel. The police said the driver of the vehicle was speeding when he lost control and the car fell into a gorge. The badly mangled vehicle’s speedometer was stuck at around 105 km mark.
State police inspector SD Mulani of New Panvel police station said, “While five people including the driver were killed on the spot, one person has been admitted to Ashtvinayak Hospital in Panvel with fractures. He is out of danger.”
Those killed are cousins Ramesh Pawar, 28, Sachin Pawar, 22, and Arun Pawar, 22, apart from Amit Deokar, 25, and the driver Lakshman Mane, 35, who were from their neighbouring villages. The injured has been identified as Pandurang Pawar, 50.
Mulani said, “ Primary investigations and the statement of the injured revealed that the driver was speeding and consequently lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle jumped to the right side of the road, broke through the bridge and fell into the riverside.”
Duryodhan T, a relative of the victims said, “The victims were travelling to their native Gharninki village in Atpati Taluka of Sangli district. They were to attend a wedding of their sister on November 23.”
NO ANSWER WHEN HE CALLED FOR HIS MOTHER
Date: May 29, 2012
NAVI MUMBAI: Unaware of her mother’s demise, one-and-half-year-old Chakuli Manjare was being carried around the premises of Panacea Hospital, Panvel, by nurses and other staffers. She was one of four children admitted there. Her father, Dhammadeep Manjare, resident of Yerawada, had left for Pune to attend his wife Poornima’s last rites, keeping Chakuli in the custody of relatives. Poornima was the only close relative of Ghatkopar bride Manisha Gaikwad to perish in the tragedy.
Chakuli had the company of Rekha Gaikwad, whose daughter Ashwini was hurt in the leg, son Aakash was hurt in the neck and youngest daughter Aarti was unhurt. Rekha herself suffered minor injuries while rescuing the children at the site of the Expressway accident.
The survivors at both Panacea and Ashtvinayak Hospital in Panvel wore stoic expressions after the on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The children were not even aware of the tragedy at the hospital. All that the children could recall was that a speeding van rammed into their stationary minibus on the highway while they were enjoying a snack post midnight. IG (Konkan) Parambir Singh and SP (Raigad) R D Shinde visited the patients at Ashtvinayak and Panacea hospitals.
Praneet Kharat, 14, from Chinchwad, Pune, who lay with a plastered leg at Ashtvinayak Hospital shut his eyes when his uncle Vijay Bahule informed him that his parents, Pravin and Aruna Kharat, and 11-year-old sister had died. Vijay Bahule, 40, said, “We left from Mumbai at 9.30 pm, We had reached Pune when we learnt of the accident. Praneet is our responsibility now.” Bahule was travelling in his car with his family and was in touch with his relatives on phone.
Praneet was in the second minibus, which bore the brunt of the collision. “My mother and sister were sitting in the bus while I got down and was waiting at the side of the road with my father,” he said. After the tempo ploughed into the bus, Praneet who fell and fractured his leg, called out to his mother in the bus. “There was no answer,” he said.
Three mechanics who were repairing the minibus that had a flat — Amol More, 29, Fayyaz Shaikh, 22, and Amir Shaikh, 19 — sustained severe injuries on their feet. All that remains of MoreÆs feet are the two big toes. More helped pull out the victims from between the buses before himself collapsing. “It’s a miracle we survived. My wound continues to bleed,” said More who was underneath the bus when the collision took place.
FOOD POISONING KILLS 3 KIDS IN RAIGAD
Date: May 29, 2012
Three children died and at least 80 people were hospitalised after suffering from suspected food poisoning during a vastu shanti ceremony on Monday at Mahad village near Khopoli in Raigad district.
Some of the patients were discharged after treatment, while around 41 are still admitted to various hospitals.
Officials said village resident Subhash Mane had invited around 250 people for the function at a local temple to celebrate his new house. Around 150 guests are suspected to have consumed the food offered. When some of them started complaining of nausea and vomiting, they were taken to Parvati Hospital in Khopoli.
When the number started increasing, the patients were taken to Gandhi Hospital, Pracheen Hospital and Mohite Hospital in Panvel, MGM Hospital in Kamothe, Shelar, Ashtvinayak and Chirayu hospitals in Khanda colony, DY Patil Hospital in Nerul, and KEM and Sion hospitals.
The deceased children have been identified as Kalyani Shingude (7), Rishikesh Shinde (12) and his cousin, Pragati Shinde (13), the Khalapur police said.
Samples being tested
Raigad Zilla Parishad CEO Abhay Yavalkar said, “The food inspector and the police have collected samples of the food and have sent them for tests. Our first priority was to save lives and provide timely treatment, which we started immediately after learning about the incident.”
Khalapur Nagar Panchayat member Bala Patil said that around 11 p.m., Mr. Mane told him about people feeling nauseated after consuming the food. “We started sending them to Mohite Hospital in Panvel for primary treatment. We visited every household to check if there was anyone who had consumed the food, and sent them to the hospital even if they were not experiencing any discomfort,” he said.
Mr. Mane said he had organized a Ganesh and Satyanarayan puja at home in the morning, and the food was served from 3 p.m. “Guests were eating till 11 p.m. I don’t know how many people had eaten the food, as there were leftovers enough to feed at least 100 more people. The first person to complain of nausea was my niece. We took her to the hospital, and then my wife and daughter complained of discomfort. My wife is in MGM Hospital and daughter is in Ashtvinayak Hospital,” Mr. Mane said.
He said he had only bought the raw material and outsourced the cooking of the meal, which included dal, rice, puri, vegetable curry and papad.
Cause unknown
Santosh Jambhale, the village talathi, said, “The food inspector suspects the dal was spoilt as it was cooked in the morning and was being served even at night. Only the test reports will confirm the cause of poisoning.”
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjaykumar Patil from Raigad said the police had collected samples of the cooked food and the raw ingredients. “Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning. We can take action only after the test reports come. We also had a dog squad and forensic team at the spot to collect evidence.”
Senior Police Inspector Vishwajeet Kaingade from Khalapur police station said it was difficult to establish the exact number of people who fell ill as they were treated at different hospitals.
Mr. Mane works as a gardener in five bungalows nearby. “Being a gardener, he stores insecticide in the house. Villagers also use an insecticide in backyards and fields to keep away snakes and other reptiles. We are looking at the possibility of someone having touched the insecticide and then come into contact with the food. We are also not ruling out the possibility of mischief in the case,” Mr. Kaingade said.
A case of accidental death has been registered with the Khalapur police.
I LOST MY MOTHER, SISTER AND HER CHILDREN
Date: May 29, 2012
Thirty-year-old Yerawada resident Sandhya Haribhakht was sitting inside the bus parked behind the broken down bus when the accident took place.
“I had not got off the bus and thought I would wait inside. I closed my eyes for a little while. It was less than a few minutes after I closed my eyes that the accident took place. I remember being thrown off my seat and unbearable pain. I closed my eyes and remember waking up in the hospital,” said Sandhya.
While Sandhya was treated at Ashtvinayak Hospital in Panvel, she still does not know if her husband is alive. “I lost my mother, sister and my sister’s children in the accident. I am scared and do not know if he is alive,” said Sandhya, as a nurse checked her pulse.
Sandhya who suffered head injuries and injuries to her legs was treated for her injuries and was later shifted to a hospital in Pune. More and his two companions, both of whom have suffered fractures were shifted to a hospital in Khopoli.
ONE KILLED, 22 HURT AS BUS FALLS IN A PIT.
Date: sept 20, 2011
It was an unfortunate trip for the people who had gone to their hometown in Satara for pitru paksh and were returning to Mumbai in the wee hours of Monday.
A tourist bus belonging to Savkar Tours and Travels fell into a pit by the side of the road which resulted in the death of one person and left 22 injured. Nirmala Ithape, 53, a resident of Wagle Estate, Thane, died in the accident. According to police, there were 52 passengers on the bus.
The accident occurred at 3.45 am at Chikhale village near Panvel on Monday when the bus was returning to Borivali from Satara.
The tragedy occurred when the bus driver suddenly noticed a stalled tempo on the first lane of the expressway. According to police, there was another travel bus that was ahead of Savkar tourist bus which managed to cut through the stalled tempo safely and go ahead, but the driver of the Savkar bus lost control and fell into the pit in a field.
According to police, since the bus fell into the field which had water and grass, the loss of life was less. “If it would not have been a farm, the chances of more people dying were high. After the rescue team reached, we saved the people by using gas cutters,” Sr PI Ramesh Gadawale from Panvel police station said.
A case has been registered against the driver of the bus (MH-11-T-9700), Dilip Patekar who has been arrested by Panvel police. Among the injured, 11 have been admitted to Ashtvinayak Hospital in Khanda Colony while one is recuperating at MGM Hospital in Kamothe. Twelve others were discharged from MGM Kamothe after first aid. The victims admitted at Ashtvinayak Hospital have been identified as Shankar Shirsavale,52, Sunita Lokhande, 38, Shankar Pawar, 52, Poonam Dhule, 30, Ashok Lotekar, 46, Vandana, 33, Sanjeevani Pawar, 45, Chaya Pawar, 44 while Nanda Lotekar, 42 and Tanabai Shirsavale, 50 are serious. Sharad Satvade, 24 has been admitted in MGM Kamothe.
LOCAL POLITICOS TO FOOT MEDICAL BILLS.
Date: may 29, 2012
After surviving the expressway mishap, several victims and their relatives were faced with the daunting exercise of finding competent medical help and then find ways to bear the cost. Several of the injured were rushed to Ashtvinayak and Panacea hospitals in Panvel. According to Raigad police, 27 people were admitted at the aforementioned hospitals around 2 am. We admitted 14 to Ashtvinayak Hospital and 13 to Panacea Hospital. Unfortunately, six of them succumbed to their injuries,” said RD Shinde, superintendent of police, Raigad district.
We admitted 14 to Ashtvinayak Hospital and 13 to Panacea Hospital. Unfortunately, six of them succumbed to their injuries,” said RD Shinde, superintendent of police, Raigad district.
Aftermath: 27 people were admitted at the Ashtvinayak and Panacea hospitals in Panvel. Six of them succumbed to their injuries
Doctors Speak
We received calls from the hospital, asking us to report immediately. Initially, everybody was panic-stricken, as most of the patients were critical. But everything was handled properly. Unfortunately, we were unable to save five of them, as they had sustained grievous injuries,” said a doctor from Ashtvinayak Hospital.
As the patients belonged to economically weaker sections, politicos from Panvel extended financial help. According to sources, a couple of local corporators and an MLA assured both the hospitals of bearing the medical expenditure. “We did not ask for any deposit when the police brought in the patients to our hospital. In the morning, some local politicians asked us to give all necessary treatment to the patients and said that they would pay for the same,” said AS Agarwal, director of Ashtvinayak Hospital. Despite repeated attempts, officials from Panacea Hospital — where one injured breathed his last — remained unavailable for comments.
Wounded but alive
Speaking to MiD DAY, Amol More, who was run over by one of the buses, set in motion by the impact of the speeding truck, said, “I was under the bus, trying to fix the problem when the truck rammed into the bus and it went over me. I screamed out in pain. I lost my feet in the accident. I couldn’t sleep the entire night as my mind was haunted by screams and groans of the injured.” Faiyyaz Shaikh, who was sitting near the bus, sustained multiple fractures. “I do not know how it happened. I have several fractures and doctors say it will take at least four months for them to heal. I am a poor man and the sole breadwinner for my family. I do not know how we’ll survive the next four months.”
INDIA TOPS LIST OF MOST ROAD ACCIDENTS.
Date: Sept 01, 2010
Last month Alan Almeida turned 24 but didn’t have the kind of birthday party that a young 20-something in Mumbai generally has. His friends and family joined him at the hospital, one of the many he’s called home since he met with a horrific bike accident in March this year. And Almeida is only one of the 706 motorbike accident cases already registered this year (figures till June).
The number of two-wheeler accident cases in the city has steadily been increasing over the last three years. Moreover, India tops the list among South-East Asian countries as the country with the most road accidents registered every year.
The alarming figures, as revealed in a World Health Organisation (WHO) report last year, will now be the focus of a meeting among health ministers of Asian countries, including India, at a WHO conference in Bangkok starting September 7 to discuss trauma centers that remain “inadequate, unorganized and inaccessible”.
Take Ashtvinayak Hospital in Panvel for example that receives up to 50 patients every month from road accidents on the expressway. “This is only 20 percent of the total cases,” said hospital director Akashdeep Agarwal.
The bigger problem, he says, is not the lack of hospitals but the government policy that mandates that accident victims must be taken to a civic or trust hospital.
“We’ve seen patients die within minutes of arriving here after they failed to receive treatment on time at a government hospital. If not death, there are severe complications like amputation or brain damage that we need to deal with,” said Agarwal.
Alan’s father Cyril also wonders what would have happened if his son had received treatment on time. “There’s been no surgery yet but there’s still considerable brain damage that one doctor suggested might have been avoided if an anti-clotting injection was given. However, we haven’t pursued the matter. All we want is for our son to be better,” said Cyril, who hopes to now pursue hyperbaric oxygen therapy for his son.
Almeida was traveling from Borivli to his home in Marol when he was hit by a truck in a head-on collision on the Western Express Highway in March this year. He opened his eyes in April but still hasn’t been able to recover speech and complete motor skills. “We’ve just been praying,” said his uncle, Alex, who has been scouting around trusts for funding Alan’s treatment that has already exceeded Rs. 7 lakh.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of 2008, Maharashtra ranked second only to Andhra Pradesh as the state with the highest number of road accident deaths.
