Thane driver confuses accelerator for brake, kills 45-year-old woman

Police detained Abhishek Kadam after his car struck pedestrians in Thane, killing a woman and injuring two due to mistaking the accelerator for the brake.

A 31-year-old man allegedly rammed his car into pedestrians in Kalwa, Thane, on Sunday morning, killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring two others.

Abhishek Kadam was taking his Suzuki XL6 car out of a parking area near Ramchandra Niwas when he hit pedestrians Shubhangi Patil, Ayush Patil, and Malashri Pujari.

The accused, identified as Abhishek Kadam, has been booked for causing death by rash and negligent driving and detained by the police. The police said that Kadam apparently pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing the car to hit the victims.

The 45-year-old woman, Shubhangi Patil, died on the spot while the other two victims, Ayush Patil (28) and Malashri Pujari (32), suffered minor injuries. While one of the injured persons is still in hospital though out of danger, the other was discharged after receiving first aid. All three victims are residents of the same locality.

According to the police, the incident occurred at around 8.30 am on Sunday in the Kharegaon area of Kalwa West. Kadam, a resident of Nehru Nagar in Kurla, had come to his cousin’s house the previous night.

He was taking his Suzuki XL6 car out of a parking area near Ramchandra Niwas when he hit the pedestrians.

Locals alleged that after hitting them, Kadam attempted to flee the spot in his car but was intercepted by passersby who called the police and handed him over.

However, the police claimed that Kadam stopped the car after the accident and called an ambulance himself to take the victims to hospital.

Prataprao Bhosle, senior police inspector, Kalwa, told HT, “The accused works in a private firm in Mumbai. We have booked him under the Motor Vehicles Act and Section 106 of the BNS for causing death by rash and negligent driving. He has been detained.”

Bhosle added that a forensic team visited the accident spot, conducted the panchnama and collected evidence.

“We have also taken blood samples of the accused to find out if he was drunk at the time of the accident,” he said. “Further investigation is underway.”