Huge pothole on Dadar TT flyover causes two mishaps

Crater on Dadar TT flyover caused two accidents yesterday; while one biker suffered injuries to his elbow, back and knees, the other escaped with a wrist fracture and other minor injuries

A huge pothole on the Dadar TT flyover nearly claimed the lives of two bikers in the city yesterday.

Also read: Potholes taking a toll on physical, mental health of Mumbaikars

50x30 inch The size of the pothole, as measured by our correspondent

The first accident involved Piyush Gupta (32), a Vashi resident who works in the sales department of a radio station. Gupta was on his way to work on his motorcycle. “I left home to reach my office in Parel and was driving at a speed of 40-50 kmph. In the middle of the Dadar TT flyover, there was a huge pothole that I couldn’t see because a car was ahead of me.

Hell hole: Piyush Gupta was rushed to hospital by a colleague who was passing by. Pics/Kaushik Thanekar

As my vehicle approached the crater, I couldn’t react in time to avoid it and my front wheel got lodged in it. Due to the sudden impact, the bike somersaulted and the rear wheel hit me on my back and head.” Gupta was thrown off his bike onto the road and a few policemen came to his aid and took him aside.

Narrow escape: Piyush Gupta was taken to hospital by his colleague Bipin Janavlekar (below), who was passing by the same road. Pics/Kaushik Thanekar

Luckily for him, Bipin Janavlekar, a colleague, was passing by the same road. “I saw that many people had gathered on the flyover. When I went to check, I saw it was Piyush and immediately took him to Global Hospital in Parel. It’s high time the authorities wake up from their slumber and repair these potholes, before someone loses his life.”

Under observation
Dr Samiksha Singh, the in-charge of the ward at Global Hospital where Gupta was admitted, said, “There are minor injuries on his left elbow, back and both his knees. As he fell unconscious on the spot, we did a CT scan of brain. The report will possibly come tomorrow. He is under observation for 24 hours. We will discharge him after the report is shown to be normal.”

Gargantuan: Our reporter measures the pothole and finds it is 50 inches long and 30 inches wide

The sales professional’s Rs 40,000 laptop got damaged, and it will take at least R10,000 to repair his motorcycle, which is with the RTO authorities. When we visited the spot, we found that the pothole measures 50 inches x 30 inches, and is at about 100 metres from the beginning of the south-bound arm of the flyover.

Also read: Shameless SRA chief says he won't repair Mumbai road till monsoon ends

The pothole is big enough to cause a fatal accident. Last year, a biker lost his life after skidding on a pothole on the Malad flyover.

The Dadar TT flyover on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road was repaired before monsoons hit the city.

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