Biker returning from Nepal trip passes away in an accident in Akola

On Saturday, the day of the accident, 47-year-old Dharmendra Patil was riding through the Akola-Amravati highway when another two-wheeler attempted to overtake him, which led to the accident

NAVI MUMBAI: On December 1, 47-year-old Dharmendra Patil shared a Facebook post about his experience of completing his maiden 14-day international bike trip to Nepal and the various tourist destinations he visited, however, that was Patil’s last post.

The final rites of the biker were conducted on Monday evening in the presence of thousands of villagers and fellow bikers.

On December 3, while Patil was returning from his Nepal trip to his family in Khopta village in Uran, 600 km away from Navi Mumbai at Akola, Patil met with a road accident and passed away.

The Uran resident, known as an avid bike rider, has a wife and two sons aged 14 and 20, respectively. Patil’s display picture on Facebook is also about his ride to the mountain pass in Leh-Khardungala, situated at an altitude of 17982 meters.

“It was his dream to go biking abroad as he had travelled every part of India,” Pritam Dhaneshwar Patil, his younger brother, said. “His passion for biking was well known. “In fact, for the 7 major rides done within the country, he made sure he had different bikes each time. He rode through the dangerous path of Leh-Ladak and experienced the beautiful nature of the entire south.”

For his trip to Nepal, Dharmendra was accompanied by 2 bikers and covered a distance of 1800 km in just 3 days, which included riding nonstop 1,078 km on day 1, followed by another 451 km on the second day and 250 km on the third day. On November 21, they gained entry into Nepal.

On Saturday, the day of the accident, Patil was riding through the Akola-Amravati highway when another two-wheeler attempted to overtake him, which led to the accident. “Dharmendra had just overtaken me on the highway when another two-wheeler suddenly changed lanes, which startled him,” Ramesh Patole, Thane resident, Patil’s biker friend, said. “To avoid crashing into the pedestrians crossing the highway, he veered the bike towards the divider. The impact was so severe that his chest punctured.”

The nearest hospital was over 35 km away. “The two bikers accompanying him to Nepal flagged an auto and tried their best to get him medical treatment but even before they could reach the hospital, my brother had passed away,” Pritam said.

The final rites of the biker were conducted on Monday evening in the presence of thousands of villagers and fellow bikers.

Patil’s relatives reminisced about his habit of planning at least one trip a year making sure that no family functions coincided with his schedule. “He would never disclose the destination he planned to ride, but he used to let us know about the dates he was not available to attend family functions,” said a relative. “The engagement ceremony of his sister-in-law was to be held post his return from Nepal.”