5 of family killed as car crashes into abandoned truck on Thane highway

The Jaiswal family was returning from Trimbakeshwar when their car hit an abandoned truck near Atgaon.

Five members of a family, including two children, were killed and six others were injured after the car they were travelling in rammed into an abandoned truck parked by the roadside on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway near Atgaon in Shahapur on Wednesday afternoon.

The 11 members of the Jaiswal family had left for Trimbakeshwar in Nashik early Wednesday in a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. (HT_PRINT)

The impact of the crash was so severe that four passengers died on the spot, while a fifth one succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital, police said.

The deceased were identified as Shriram Jaiswal, 34; Suraj Jaiswal, 28; Ayush Jaiswal, 8; Avantika Jaiswal, 11 months; and Santram Jaiswal, 70. The first four died on the spot, while Santram succumbed while being rushed to hospital.

Six other family members were taken to Shahapur Sub-District Hospital by local residents. Four of them—Sunita Jaiswal, 38; Shivam Jaiswal, 14; Satish Jaiswal, 24; and Subhi Jaiswal, 15—are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Two others—Radhika Jaiswal, 30, and Anshika Jaiswal, 7—are said to be critically injured and have been shifted to Sion Hospital in Mumbai for advanced medical care, police said.

The 11 members of the Jaiswal family, all residents of Jogeshwari, had left for Trimbakeshwar in Nashik early Wednesday in a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. They were returning home after performing a puja at the shrine when the accident occurred.

According to police, the car crashed into a burnt and abandoned truck that had been parked away from the road for several years. “It is still unclear how the car drifted away from the main road and hit the abandoned truck,” a police officer said.

Police suspect that the driver, who has not yet been identified, was travelling at high speed, lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the truck. They are also examining whether the car’s steering may have locked while it was travelling at high speed, causing the crash.

Vilas Kadam, senior police inspector at Shahapur police station, said all 11 family members, including the children, were in the car when the crash occurred near Atgaon. “We are investigating the circumstances under which the accident occurred and will proceed with legal formalities accordingly,” Kadam said.

The crash caused severe traffic congestion on the Mumbai-bound lane of the highway, stranding vehicles in long queues for nearly an hour. Police eventually used a crane to clear the wreckage and restore normal traffic movement.