Around 5.30 am on Tuesday, a water tanker suddenly lost control near Kalanagar flyover on the Western Express Highway, killing a taxi driver on the spot and injuring an auto-rickshaw driver. Police sources said the water tanker lost control after the auto-rickshaw driver suddenly changed route, subsequently ramming into a cool cab parked nearby. As the tanker rammed from the rear, the cab driver was thrown out only to be run over by the truck.
Kherwadi police is investigating the matter and has taken both the tanker and the cab into custody. A senior official from Kherwadi police station confirmed the incident and informed that the tanker owner had been called for inquiry and the police would investigate further after taking the driver into custody.
According to police sources, the tanker driver fled from the spot even as cab driver Ramdarshan Parasnath Mishra (50) was rushed to Nayar Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Mishra was a professional driver and staying in Byculla along with his family. Auto-rickshaw driver Badrul Jamar Khan’s (34) rickshaw was badly damaged while he sustained several injuries in his leg, hand and other parts of the body. Khan stays in Nargis Dutt Nagar, Bandra (west) along with his wife and two children. The Kherwadi police has registered a case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving against the tanker driver under relevant sections of IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act.
Narrating the turn of events, Mr Khan said, “The incident occurred around 5.30am when I was coming from Bandra (west) and heading towards Bandra court on the Western Express Highway. Suddenly, a speeding tanker hit my auto from the back. I was thrown from the auto and fell on the ground around 10 feet away while the tanker crashed into the taxi which was ahead of me.”
“The taxi driver fell on the ground and he was crushed under the wheel of the tanker. The tanker driver stopped the vehicle on the taxi driver’s body. I was screaming and shouting for the tanker driver to take his vehicle ahead. But he just got down and fled after seeing the taxi driver,” said Mr Khan.
