Pimpri Chinchwad Regional Transport Office (RTO) team, supervised by Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, rescued a family that was injured near Lonavla on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Timely intervention saved all lives as rain, traffic made it impossible for amblulance to reach victims in time
Some of the injured taken in an ambulance. Pic/Special Arrangement
In a heroic act amidst torrential rain and traffic snarls, the Pimpri Chinchwad Regional Transport Office (RTO) team, supervised by Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, rescued a family that was injured near Lonavla on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in the early hours of Sunday. With ambulances delayed due to adverse weather and traffic congestion, the team provided critical golden hour treatment and transported the victims to Pawana Multispeciality Hospital in Maval for emergency care.
‘Serious accident’
Savita Pawar, motor vehicle inspector, Pimpri Chinchwad RTO, told mid-day, “Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar was en route to Mumbai after attending the wedding of MLA Abhimanyu Pawar’s daughter in Pune. As per protocol, we accompanied the commissioner up to Lonavla. Around 12.45 am, near the 75/22 milestone on the expressway, close to Urse Toll Plaza, we witnessed a serious accident. A vehicle had collided with a car, leaving an entire family from Pune injured.”
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway. File pic
Despite the heavy rainfall and ensuing traffic jam, the RTO team acted immediately. “We exited our vehicle and found two children and three adults inside the crashed car. The adults were unconscious, while the children were in shock. We administered first aid as part of the golden hour treatment and called the ‘108’ emergency service. Initially, there was no response. Later, we were informed that due to traffic and rain, it would take over 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive,” an RTO team member said.
Bhimanwar then instructed the RTO team to transport the injured family in their vehicle to the nearest hospital. Along the way, the RTO team was met by the Pawana Hospital ambulance, and one of the female patients who needed critical care was transferred to the emergency vehicle. The other family members were transported in the RTO vehicle. The entire RTO team —including motor vehicle inspector Savita Pawar, assistant motor vehicle inspector Vaibhav Fafale and driver Ram Kakade — remained with the victims till 2.30 am, ensuring they were stable and accompanied by relatives before departing.
Monitoring the situation
According to RTO officials, the injured family — identified as the Agarwals — resides in Pune. Bhimanwar later proceeded to Mumbai but continued to monitor the situation and stayed in contact regarding the family's condition. Pawar, who was recently transferred to the Pimpri Chinchwad RTO from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar RTO, added, “Traffic Commissioner Bhimanwar regularly reviews accident data and analysis. Micro-level accident assessments were also conducted during work on the Samruddhi Highway. He has emphasised the importance of golden hour treatment in all road safety initiatives.”
Dr Satyajeet Wadhokar, a cardiologist at Pawana Hospital, told mid-day, “We received an emergency call at around 1.25 am, and the injured were admitted within the next 30 minutes. Four people were brought in — a 48-year-old male with multiple fractures who is currently in the ICU, a 60-year-old male, a 43-year-old woman and an 18-year-old girl — with blunt force trauma to the head. CT scans showed no internal bleeding so far, and all are under observation. The minor boy had no injuries.” Dr Wadhokar credited the RTO team’s swift action and timely treatment with preventing further complications and saving their lives.
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