Two dead in freak accident after car topples down from Bandra flyover

In a major accident, a speeding Chevrolet car dashed into a parked tempo on the Bandra flyover, crushed a labourer, plunged over the boundary wall, hit another labourer, landed on a nearby tree and then came crashing to the ground. Strangely, the two persons in the car managed to sneak out and fled in an autorickshaw. While two labourers died in the mishap, one was left injured. Bandra police later managed to nab the car's driver.

According to the police, the car with registration number MH 04 EF 8795 was going north-bound on the Bandra flyover when the driver lost control over the vehicle and went on to dash into a parked tempo with registration number MH 01 BR 0787. The said tempo was being used by five labourers to carry out repair work of a hoarding on the flyover.

One of the labourers, Sandeep Gaud, who was managing traffic on the flyover was crushed to death by the car. The car then plunged over the flyover and hit another labourer Lala Bansi who was working on the hoarding, before landing on a nearby tree. Bansi fell directly to the ground. Two other labourers, Vinod Gaud and Subhash Khandangale, were left unhurt. The car then fell down from the tree and landed on the ground, police said.

The fifth labourer, Mohammed Shakeel, who was assisting beneath the flyover, was hit by the car too and sustained a fracture on his hand. Bansi later died at Bhabha Hospital while Shakeel is still under treatment.

"I was underneath the flyover and when the car rammed in the tempo, I heard a loud thud after which I saw a car coming off the flyover and landing on the tree. I was lucky to have escaped with only a fracture", said Shakeel.

"After the mishap, the two persons travelling in the car involved conveniently hired an autorickshaw and fled from the spot while the police that were present assumed they must be heading towards a hospital for treatment," said an eyewitness.

"We have arrested the car's driver, Ehteshaam Kapadia, a Dongri resident, and have also recorded the statement of Aksha Chapra, who was with him in the car at the time of the incident. Kapadia has been booked under sections 304 A (causing death due to negligence), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 279 (rash driving) of the IPC and under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act," said Pandit Thackeray, Senior Police Inspector, Bandra Police Station.