Truck without driver crushes 33-year-old to death in Bhandup

The police are still trying to identify the driver of the truck and find out how the heavy vehicle was moving without anyone at the wheel

MUMBAI: A trip to have ice cream turned tragic for three friends on Tuesday evening after one of them was run over by a truck, which had no one at the wheel, on Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road in Bhandup West.

Truck without driver crushes 33-year-old to death in Bhandup

The three friends—Shahrukh Chowdhary, Sajid Azmi, and Zaid Shaikh— were on a scooter on their way to have ice cream when a truck coming from the opposite direction hit them under the metro rail bridge on LBS Road, according to the police.

Chowdhary, who was riding the scooter, and Shaikh managed to jump off the two-wheeler before the truck collided with them. However, Azmi, who was sitting between his two friends, couldn’t get off in time. The 33-year-old fell on the road along with the scooter and his leg got trapped under the two-wheeler. As a result, he couldn’t get out of the way before the truck, which was moving at a low speed without a driver, ran over him, said the police.

Shaikh and Chowdhary then rushed Azmi to Criticare Hospital in an autorickshaw, where he died around 1 am on Wednesday, said senior inspector Dattatray Khandagale of the Bhandup police station. The deceased, Azmi, lived in Pathan Colony in Bhandup West along with his family. He worked at a private firm as an area sales manager.

Describing what happened, Chowdhary, 32, said, “Initially, I thought there was a driver in the truck and would take a turn or press brakes after seeing our bike. But as I reached closer, I noticed there was no one in the driving seat, and the truck was heading straight at us. I took a left turn and jumped off the bike to save myself, but my friend Sajid Azmi got stuck under the scooter, and the truck ran over him. The truck later halted after crashing into the footpath.”

The police are still trying to identify the driver of the truck and find out how the heavy vehicle was moving without anyone at the wheel. They have registered a case against an unknown person under sections 106 (1)—causing death by negligence—and 289—negligent use of machinery that endangers human life—of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“We will find out how the truck, with its engine running, came out on the road without a driver. We have informed the RTO (Regional Transport Office). They will inspect the vehicle and submit a report soon,” said Khandagale.