Pune: Two persons were killed and 12 others injured after a truck travelling towards Mumbai from Satara jumped over the median and collided head-on with a car and an MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) on the Katraj-Dehu Road bypass.The accident took place near the viaduct in Jambhulwadi around 12.15am on Sunday.The truck heading towards Mumbai was hit by another truck from behind, after which it crashed into the iron median and jumped over it to enter the other lane of the highway towards Kolhapur. It then collided with the MPV and car, which were going from Mumbai towards Satara.Senior inspector Sharad Zine of Ambegaon police said, “MPV driver Hridaynath Mohan Gaikwad (47), a resident of Jogeshwari East in Mumbai, died in the accident. The second deceased is Anandibai Ramchandra Wadkar (50), a resident of Nerul in Navi Mumbai, who was a passenger in the car.”He added, “The 12 injured individuals have all been admitted to three different hospitals in Dhankawdi and Katraj. Three of them are in a critical state.”According to Zine: “Car driver Vishwas Wadkar (38) and his five family members, including his mother Anandibai, are all residents of Nerul. At the time of the accident, they were heading to Kolhapur to offer prayers at Ambabai temple. The occupants of the MPV were heading to their native place in Malvan, Sindhudurg, for Ganeshotsav. They had hired the MPV.”A case has been registered at Ambegaon police station under sections 105 and 125(a)(b) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. Police have detained the driver (40) of the truck that jumped the median. He is a resident of Khatav in Satara district. They have also detained the truck owner (45), who is a resident of Khatav, too.“The truck that jumped over the median and crashed into the iron railings was carrying vegetables from Satara to Gujarat,” said Zine, adding, “The truck that hit the first one from behind is still stationed at the accident spot. Its driver fled after the crash. We have contacted that truck driver and are trying to locate him.”After receiving information about the accident, a team from the Sinhagad fire station, along with Ambegaon police, reached the spot. With the help of local residents, fire brigade personnel pulled out eight injured passengers from the vehicles and sent them to hospitals by ambulance. The injured include four-year-old Arvi Wadkar and 15-year-old Jia Dhanwade. They are undergoing treatment at a hospital. The truck driver and cleaner were also injured in the incident.Gaikwad’s legs were trapped inside the vehicle. Fire brigade personnel used an iron crowbar and a cutter to remove a portion of the vehicle and rescue him.The accident caused major disruption to traffic on the highway, especially for vehicles heading towards Satara, Kolhapur and Bengaluru. Police used a heavy-duty crane to shift all four damaged vehicles from the carriageway.The broken metal portions of the median were cut and removed using a metal cutter. Oil, petrol, and diesel spilled on the road were washed away by fire brigade personnel.
