Four injured in multi-vehicle crash on Ghodbunder Road, 14 vehicles damaged

The incident occurred around 6:30 am on Friday when a truck carrying cement was descending the Gaimukh ghat and collided with 11 to 12 cars and one or two autorickshaws that had entered the wrong lane to bypass congestion

THANE: Four people were injured after a cement-laden truck rammed into multiple vehicles being driven in the wrong direction on Ghodbunder Road near the Gaimukh traffic outpost on Friday morning, causing a chain collision involving over a dozen vehicles and triggering massive traffic congestion on the busy corridor.

Thane, India - January -09, 2026:A collision involving 12 vehicles occurred at the Gaimukh Ghat on Ghodbunder Road. It is reported that four people have been injured in the accident, According to the police, the accident occurred in the morning when some car drivers, due to traffic, were driving from the Thane side towards Fountain Borivali side using the wrong and opposite lane. The incident involved one auto-rickshaw and 12 four-wheeler vehicles ,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, January -09, 2026. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo)

According to the police, the incident occurred around 6:30 am on Friday when a truck carrying cement was descending the Gaimukh ghat and collided with 11 to 12 cars and one or two autorickshaws that had entered the wrong lane to bypass congestion. The truck driver fled the scene and is yet to be traced. The chain collision created panic, prompting the traffic and local police to rush to the spot.

Those injured include auto-rickshaw driver Shivkumar Bechu Prasad Yadav, 56, Ola cab driver Rambali Babulal, 22, and auto passengers Anita Dinesh Petwal, 45, and Taskir Shafiq Ahmed Sheikh, 45. All were taken to a private hospital in Waghbil for treatment.

The collision brought traffic on Ghodbunder Road to a standstill, with long queues stretching up to the Vasai Creek Bridge near Fountain Road. Traffic was temporarily halted to clear debris and damaged vehicles from the carriageway.

Pankaj Shirsat, DCP, Traffic Thane, said, “The cars and auto-rickshaws were going in the wrong lane towards Mira Road, and a cement-laden heavy truck was coming down towards Thane from the elevated ghat section and hit these vehicles. Fortunately, the truck driver controlled the vehicle in time, avoiding any fatalities. We used five cranes, including Hydra cranes, to remove the damaged vehicles, and the road was completely cleared by 11:30 a.m. for traffic.”

Yasin Tadvi, head, Thane Disaster Management Cell, said an oil spill at the accident site further heightened the risk of secondary mishaps.“Post-accident, there was an oil spill on the road. Our team, with the help of the fire brigade, cleared the oil to avoid vehicle slips on the road.”

Family members of one of the injured said the impact caused serious injuries. Abdul Rehman Pathan, a relative of the injured victim Shafiq Sheikh, who is admitted to Titan Medicity Hospital, told HT, “Shafiq has suffered facial injuries and damage to his backbone. Doctors performed a minor surgery and put stitches on his face and said that he will require plastic surgery due to the severe damage.”

Police reiterated that the Ghodbunder Road stretch, particularly the Gaimukh ghat section, remains highly accident-prone due to heavy truck movement between JNPT and Gujarat and a sharp increase in private vehicles from nearby residential developments. Even minor traffic snarls often lead motorists to drive on the wrong side, significantly increasing accident risks.

Service road merger poses risk of accidents and increase in wrong-side driving

Residents have also protested against the merger of service lanes with the main Ghodbunder Road, which has forced locals to take 1.5 to 2 km-long detours to reach nearby locations due to the absence of diversions. This has forced motorists to drive on the main road in the wrong lanes, causing accidents.

Nilesh Patil, a resident of One Hiranandani Park, said, “The merger of the service road is illegal and poses a serious risk to our lives. Several housing societies depend on the service roads for daily local travel. After the merger, heavy vehicles and local traffic are forced into the same lane, endangering residents who need to share road space. We do not want this merger.”

Patil further said that after the merger, residents are compelled to take detours of one to two kilometres to cross to the other side of the road, leading to increased traffic congestion, fuel wastage, and loss of time. It has also resulted in a rise in wrong-side driving, further intensifying congestion and road rage. Instead of easing traffic, the authorities have aggravated the problem by pushing local traffic onto the main road.

Police have urged motorists to strictly follow traffic rules and exercise caution, particularly while navigating the ghat section.