19-year-old runner dies after being hit by vehicle on Andheri flyover

Around half an hour later, a cyclist’s cohort from Borivali came across a dazed and injured Abhay, still lying on the flyover, popularly called the Jog flyover. His lower leg was swollen, indicating possible fractures

An 18-year-old man died and his 19-year-old brother was injured after being hit by a vehicle while they were running on the Andheri Flyover on Saturday around 5.30am. Vivek Yadav was flung over the flyover wall due to the impact and fell 35 feet on the road below, while Abhay received injuries to his leg.

19-year-old runner dies after being hit by vehicle on Andheri flyover

Around half an hour later, a cyclist’s cohort from Andheri came across a dazed and injured Abhay, still lying on the flyover, popularly called the Jog flyover. His lower leg was swollen, indicating possible fractures.

“Speaking to him, we learnt he couldn’t recall what hit him, but also that the other person accompanying him was thrown from the bridge on the ground 35 feet below,” said Dinesh Lokhande, one of the cyclists. “We immediately rushed him to Holy Spirit Hospital in Mahakali Caves.” There, the cyclists found Vivek admitted too.

“He was in critical condition and needed oxygen support. When the family arrived, they couldn’t afford the deposit amount, so they requested the patient to be transferred to Cooper Hospital, which is run by BMC, according to another cyclist. “A life support ambulance arrived 30 minutes later, and they were transferred.”

While Abhay’s condition was stable, Vivek’s deteriorated, and he needed to be kept on life support. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Santaji Ghorpade, senior police inspector at Andheri police station, said that they have registered a case under section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code for causing death due to negligence against the driver of the unknown vehicle. He said the police are trying to identify the car and its driver by scanning the CCTV footage of the spot and other places along the road.

The cyclist’s group said they are regulars along the Western Express Highway (WEH) route, from Borivali to Bandra to Marine Drive. While some do the ride daily, Lokhande said he was heading for Nariman Point from Kandivali, which he does every weekend.

“It was also raining heavily on Saturday morning so, one should wear reflectors and even taillights while cycling or running and use proper T-shirts,” said Lokhande. The other cyclist pointed out that since the flyover doesn’t have a footpath, running and cycling occur in the early morning hours on the road.

This incident has raised questions about the safety of cyclists and runners in the city. “The side walls of the flyover are only around 2.5 to 3 feet high. If they were higher, the impact to the runner could have been lesser, which could have saved his life,” said Karan Jotwani, admin of one of the larger cyclist groups in the city, Buddy Riders.

Dhaval Shah, from the citizens group Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA), similarly called attention to the side walls of the Gokhale bridge, which is of similar height. “We’ve written to all the officials about raising its height. Sound barriers can be installed which are light and won’t add to the bridges’ load and increase the safety of all pedestrians. Hit-and-run cases are common on these bridges due to overtaking vehicles.”

(Input from Vinay Dalvi)