What Caused the 25-Vehicle Pile-Up on Mumbai-Pune Expressway?
A massive pile-up involving 25 vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday afternoon left one woman dead and 18 others injured. The incident occurred when a container trailer’s brakes reportedly failed near the Adoshi tunnel under Khopoli police station limits.
The deceased was identified as Anita Sahadev Ekhande, a 58-year-old resident of Padoli village in Dharashiv district. She was traveling with her family in an SUV when the trailer, moving downhill from Pune towards Mumbai, lost control and crashed into multiple vehicles.
According to police, the trailer's brakes failed on a steep stretch of road, resulting in the vehicle ramming into the traffic ahead. Seven vehicles were extensively damaged in the accident. “It collided with vehicles in front of it. The impact was so great that the trailer dragged several vehicles nearly 3.5 km,” said Raigad superintendent of police Anchal Dalal.
“Prima facie, the accident was the result of brake failure. The driver was not under the influence of alcohol. The damage was major as the brakes failed while he was driving down a slope,” he added. The Khopoli police have registered a case and are investigating the alleged mechanical failure that led to the accident. Cops have also arrested the 29-year-old trailer driver, Rajeshkumar Ramsumer Patel.
Volunteers from the HELP Foundation assisted in rescue efforts at the accident site. Bhakti Sathelkar, one of the volunteers, said: “A 17-seater Traveller was also badly damaged in the accident. Most of the injured were inside this vehicle.”
Seventeen of the injured were rushed to MGM Hospital, Kamothe, while one was admitted to a private hospital. Dr. Kuldeep Raj Salgotra, Director of MGM Hospital, confirmed receiving 17 patients from the accident site, the first arriving at 3 PM. “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,” Dr. Salgotra said.
Among the others, two patients have pelvic fractures, one has a fractured collar bone, and three others sustained various fractures. The injured include 15 females and two males, including a 9-year-old child.
