3 injured as truck hits vehicle towing Ganesh idol on Mumbai-Pune highway

NAVI MUMBAI: Three people were injured, two of them seriously, after a cement mixer truck hit a towing vehicle carrying a large Ganesh idol on the Mumbai-Pune highway near Khalapur on Wednesday morning, police said

NAVI MUMBAI: Three people were injured, two of them seriously, after a cement mixer truck hit a towing vehicle carrying a large Ganesh idol on the Mumbai-Pune highway near Khalapur on Wednesday morning, police said.

The collision also damaged the Ganesh idol being transported by the towing vehicle.

The accident took place around 7.40 am on Wednesday on the Pune-bound lane of the highway. According to the police, the driver of the cement mixer, identified as 26-year-old Aniket Mahadev Pawar, allegedly dozed off while driving and lost control of the truck, causing it to crash into the towing vehicle from behind.

The towing vehicle was travelling towards Pune, carrying a large Ganesh idol ahead of Ganeshotsav celebrations. Three people travelling in the vehicle were injured in the collision. Ajay Morde, 26, and Satish Gopale, 30, suffered serious injuries to their right legs, while Prashant Morde, 34, sustained minor injuries to his hand and leg, police said. The driver of the towing vehicle, Akshay Madne, 26, escaped unhurt.

The accident was reported to the police at around 7.50 am, following which personnel from the Khalapur police station and IRB Infrastructure, a highway construction company, reached the spot. An ambulance operated by IRB also arrived at the scene, and its medical staff provided first aid to the injured. They were subsequently shifted to MGM Hospital in Kamothe for further treatment, police said.

The collision also damaged the Ganesh idol being transported by the towing vehicle. The damaged idol was removed from the vehicle with the help of a crane and handed over to members of the organising committee of the Ganesh mandal in Pune, where it was being transported.

Following the accident, IRB personnel used a crane to move the damaged vehicles to the shoulder lane on the left side of the road to prevent further disruption to traffic.

The drivers of both vehicles were subsequently taken to the Khalapur police station for questioning. Police later booked Pawar for rash and negligent driving.