1 dead, 18 Injured in 25-vehicle pile-up on Mumbai-Pune Expressway
The deceased, Anita Sahadev Ekhande, 58, a resident of Padoli village in Dharashiv district, was traveling in an SUV along with her family.
The trailer was heading from Pune towards Mumbai, when its brakes failed as it was descending the ghats. 'It collided with vehicles in front of it, resulting in a pile-up of 25 vehicles, including cars, buses and trucks. The impact was so great that the trailer dragged several vehicles nearly 3.5km,' said superintendent of police, Raigad, Anchal Dalal. Seven vehicles, including a Mercedes and an Innova, were badly damaged.
Volunteers from the HELP Foundation involved in the rescue operation said the deceased woman was travelling with her family comprising nine people in an SUV. 'She and her family were travelling from Solapur. A 17-seater Traveller was badly damaged in the accident. Most of the injured were inside this vehicle,' said Bhakti Sathelkar, a volunteer. While 17 of the 18 injured were taken to MGM hospital, Kamothe, for treatment, one of them is in a private hospital.
'Prima facie, the accident was the result of brake failure. The trailer driver was not under the influence of alcohol. The damage was major as the brakes failed while the trailer was driving down a slope,' said Dala.
Police have arrested the trailer driver, identified as Rajeshkumar Ramsumer Patel, 29.
Director of MGM Hospital, Kamothe , Dr Kuldeep Raj Salgotra, said 17 patients were brought to the hospital from the accident site, the first at 3pm. One is in critical condition, on ventilator support, owing to serious head injuries. Another patient is also relatively serious and has a cervical spine fracture. Of the remaining 15 patients, two have pelvic fractures, one has a fractured collar bone, and three have sustained other fractures. Of the 17 patients admitted, 15 are women and two are male, including a 9-year-old.
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