Maharashtra: Man fatally crushed by truck after falling from motorcycle due to pothole

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A 23-year-old man was killed after his motorcycle bumped into a pothole, following which a concrete mixer truck ran over him in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Saturday, reported PTI.

The accident occurred on Hajimalang Road around 11.30 pm on Thursday, following which the truck driver was arrested, they said.

"The deceased Suraj Gavari, in an attempt to avoid a pothole, lost balance of the vehicle and fell down on the road just when a speeding concrete mixer truck ran over him," an official of the Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar division said.

The victim died on the spot and his body was sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, he said.

An offence was registered against the truck driver under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicles Act and he was arrested, the police said.

In a separate incident in July 2023, a bus traveling from Yavatmal to Pune caught fire on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway. The incident claimed the lives of 25 people, while eight others sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Buldhana. The bus, operated by Vidarbha Travels, was carrying a total of 33 passengers. The driver of the bus survived and was taken into custody by the police for questioning. According to reports, the driver revealed that he lost control of the vehicle after a tyre burst, causing a collision with an iron pole. The bus subsequently overturned and quickly caught fire. The authorities are still in the process of identifying the deceased. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives.

This incident has garnered nationwide attention. Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his grief in a tweet, stating, "The road accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana district is heartbreaking. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this horrific accident. The administration is providing prompt treatment to the injured. I pray to god for their speedy recovery." NCP leader Sharad Pawar also extended his condolences to the families of the deceased while raising the issue of speed limits in a tweet. He stated, "In light of this unfortunate incident, the issue of speed limits for private vehicles on the Samriddhi Highway needs to be deliberated upon. The state government should take serious note of this and implement immediate measures."

(PTI inputs)