Three of a family killed in accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Three members of a family, including a three-and-a-half-year-old boy, died in a three-vehicle pile-up on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Thursday evening

Three members of a family, including a three-and-a-half-year-old boy, died in a three-vehicle pile-up on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Thursday evening. The accident took place at Borghat in Raigad district.

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The deceased — Joaquim Chettiar, 36; his wife Luiza, 35; and their son Jazial — were returning home to Naigaon near Vasai from Pune after an event when the accident took place, said police. “Around 5.10pm, the Chettiars were crossing Borghat area in their car when a trailer driver heading towards Mumbai lost control of his vehicle and hit a truck moving ahead of it. The truck then went ahead and rammed into Chettiar’s car,” said an officer from Khopoli police station.

“The car then toppled on the road and caught fire within a few seconds. All three members of the family died on the spot. The trailer driver, Ramesh Nikam, also suffered injuries in the accident and was taken to MGM Hospital in Kamothe. He is under observation there,” he said.

The police booked Nikam under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Motor Vehicles Act.

“The Pune-Mumbai lane of the expressway saw traffic jam following that accident. We later removed the three vehicles from the road using a crane, and the traffic flow was normal after that,” the officer said.