Viraj Vettal tried to veer to the left so the car wouldn’t directly hit the tree, say witnesses
Viraj Vettal, 25, the driver of the speeding car that crashed into a banyan tree in the wee hours of Wednesday, killing its five occupants, tried steering it to the left to save himself from full impact, said witnesses to the mishap.
The impact of the crash was such that the inbuilt airbags of the car were rendered useless.
Vettal, who was driving a Volkswagon Vento (MH 48 A 0696) was behind the wheel in allegedly a drunken state, when the car crashed around 3.30 am, the police said.
He and four of his relatives — Nikesh Tamore, 25, a Tarapur resident; Kiran Pagdhare, 30, a resident of Vadrai; Dipesh Pagdhare, 25, a resident of Satpati; and Santosh Bahiram, 37, a resident of Khanpada — were returning home from a friend's wedding.
Following the crash, the locals who saw the incident informed the Satpati police.
Inspector Mansingh Patil of Satpati coastal police station said, "Vettal had lost control of the vehicle because he was speeding. The locals heard a loud thud and rushed to help the victims. Before colliding into the tree, Vettal had steered to the left side to keep the driver's side of the car from being directly hit, to save himself."
"After the crash, the car fell into the pit before turning turtles. The locals who saw the incident have claimed that the speed of the car was not less than 120 kmph," said Patil.
"Due to the impact of the crash, the airbags which were inbuilt failed to function. The impact burst the airbags and they couldn't save anybody. The entire windshield of the vehicle was shattered," said Patil.
Dr Dinkar Gavit, medical superintendent, Palghar Rural hospital, said, "The injuries to the driver were less as compared to the other occupants of the car. The impact of collision was more for the person sitting beside him."
"All the victims sustained severe head injuries and rib fractures," said Gavit.
Vettal was an adept driver and had been driving the car for five years, said his neighbour Suresh Tambada. "We never so much as saw him get into a fender-bender."
Vettal ran a transport business and Tamore and Dipesh Pagdhare worked for him. Kiran and Santosh worked in a private company at Boisar.
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