A man died and another riding pillion was injured on Sunday morning after their scooter hit a large pothole and a truck ran over him in the Nalasopara area of Palghar district in Maharashtra, police said, reported the PTI.
The accident took place around 8 am and led to chaos and heavy traffic, after some unidentified people later set the truck on fire.
The deceased was identified as Mahesh Desai who worked as a manager in a private company. His colleague, Lavkush Verma, was seriously injured and has been admitted to a civic hospital, a police official said, according to the PTI.
According to eyewitnesses, the scooter lost balance due to a big pothole, causing Desai to fall onto the road, where he came under the rear wheels of a truck following them. The truck driver fled away from the spot, leaving the vehicle behind.
A short while later, a few unidentified persons arrived on a motorcycle and set the abandoned truck ablaze, worsening the traffic jam.
Local residents expressed anger over the badly maintained roads.
“This happened because of the administration’s negligence. These potholes are death traps,” said local resident Bablu Pal, who demanded urgent road repairs and strict action, as per the PTI.
Police arrived at the scene soon after and managed to clear traffic.
The victim’s body has been sent to a government hospital for post-mortem.
A police investigation was currently underway.
Meanwhile, in an another incident, two men were killed and five others were injured when their SUV rammed into a container truck on the JNPA-Panvel road in Raigad district on Saturday, police said, reported PTI.
The SUV was reportedly speeding when it crashed into the truck from behind on the busy stretch, leading to the death of Hitendra Sanjay Patil (22) and Shrinath Chandralekhar (22), an official said, adding that the deceased were residents of Navi Mumbai, the news agency reported.
The injured persons were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and invoked provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“Preliminary findings indicate rash and negligent driving. Further investigation is in progress,” a Panvel Police official said, as per the PTI.
(with PTI inputs)
