Bandra family meets with accident; 1 dead

PUNE: A family from Bandra was returning from their native place after celebrating Diwali when the car they were travelling in collided against the fuel tank of a truck on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway during the wee hours on Tuesday.

The woman, identified as Jyotsna Patil, 24, was killed while her husband Ganpat ,30, escaped with serious injuries. Their three-year-old son and a three-month-old baby also sustained injuries in the incident, said the Lonavala (City) police.

The car was heading towards Mumbai from Pune and the truck was coming from the opposite direction. It is suspected that the car driver lost control over the vehicle and collided against the divider.

The car jumped off to the other side of the expressway (Pune corridor) and hit the fuel tank of the truck which caught fire.

The truck driver, Bharat Dnyandev Barate of Raigad, showed presence of mind and drove the truck slowly, thus saving three lives.

The Lonavala (City) police said that the fire would have gutted the car also, but Barate’s effort saved it. The truck driver immediately called up police and attempted to save the lives of the other car occupants at around 4.30 am.

Police inspector Sudam Darekar told DNA that the family originally hailed from Kolhapur. They were returning to Bandra, in Mumbai, where they currently reside.