In massive Pune highway pile-up, truck driver, his aide held for negligence

Pune-Bengaluru highway pile-up: According to a report compiled by the regional transport office (RTO), it was found that the driver had turned off the engine to save fuel and could not apply brakes when the truck had gained speed and hit many vehicles.

After at least 48 vehicles were caught in a massive pile-up on the Pune-Bengaluru Highway in Maharashtra and over 20 people were injured in the accident, the truck driver and his aide were arrested on Monday night over negligence. As per the report compiled by the regional transport office (RTO), it was found that the driver had turned off the engine to save fuel and could not apply brakes when the truck had gained speed and hit many vehicles.

At least 48 vehicles were damaged and more than 20 people suffered injuries in the multi-vehicle accident near Navale bridge in Pune. (RAVINDRA JOSHI/HT)

“The accused - truck driver Maniram Yadav - and his assistant Lalit Yadav, who had been absconding, were arrested under IPC sections 279, 337, 338 and 427,” the Pune Police stated, news agency ANI reported. They were arrested from the Chakan area of Pimpri Chinchwad, neighbouring Pune. Both the accused are said to be from Madhya Pradesh.

The crash took place Sunday around 8:30 pm on the National Highway-4 near Navale Bridge in Pune. The driver lost control of the speeding truck and rammed into the cars in front of it, resulting in a huge pile-up. He and his assistant fled the scene immediately. The incident caused a melee, leading to kilometers-long traffic snarl along the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. The truck was coming from Tamil Nadu and was heavily loaded with some goods, police said.

The latest incident once again has cast light on road safety. "After yesterday's accident, officials of the police, Pune Municipal Corporation and NHAI visited the spot to see what measures can be taken to avoid such incidents," city police commissioner Amitabh Gupta told news agency PTI. He said that accident figures had dipped in the last six months but with the latest crash, implementation of more measures were being discussed.

'(With inputs from PTI, ANI)