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Speeding car jumps curb, hits three girls in Kothrud
According to Alankar Police Station officials, the accident took place near Revive Hair and Beauty Studio on Gulavani Maharaj Road at Ganeshnagar at around 3.30 pm
A speeding car hit three college girls walking on footpath in Kothrud on Saturday, said police officials.
According to Alankar Police Station officials, the accident took place near Revive Hair and Beauty Studio on Gulavani Maharaj Road at Ganeshnagar at around 3.30 pm.
The driver was headed to Karnataka Vidyalaya from Nimbalkar Baug when the mishap took place, according to the police.
While taking a turn, the driver lost control of the wheel and the vehicle jumped over the footpath hitting the three girls, with two being flung into the air and the third coming under the wheels. Locals alerted the police about the incident and a team of Alankar Police Station rushed to the spot and shifted the injured girls to the hospital. The condition of one of the girls is critical, a police official said.
Injured girls were identified as Rasika Dhamm, Harshada Sawant and Mahima Kataria. Jagmohan Bordliya, an eyewitness, said, “The woman car driver might have lost control of the vehicle and the mishap took place.”
Rajesh Tatkare, senior inspector, Alankar Police Station, said, “The driver said that she accidentally hit the car’s accelerator instead of the brake that led to the accident.”
Tatkare said that the process of recording statements of both parties is on and further action will be taken by registering a first information report (FIR).
According to the recently released Maharashtra Road Crash Report 2022, at least 871 accidents were reported in Pune city last year that resulted in 325 deaths. Of these accidents, 315 were fatal, stated the report.
The report states that vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and two-three wheelers contributed to almost 95 per cent of total deaths in these accidents.
According to the data, there were a total of 325 deaths of which 191 (59%) were two and three-wheeler occupants, 111 (34%) were pedestrians, 17 (5%) were four-wheeler occupants and 6 (2%) were cyclists.
Prashant Inamdar, civic activist and convenor of Pedestrians First, said that pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable on roads, and their safety should be top priority of authorities.
“The increasing number of mishaps involving pedestrians and cyclists is alarming. Increase in such a trend is attributed to faulty city road designs, faulty constructions and unsafe elements,’ he said.
“We have already submitted ‘Pedestrian Policy’ as per the Urban Street Design Guidelines to the civic body in 2016 which was approved by the general body in August 2016. However, seven years later, there is no progress at the implementation level. City roads should be planned according to Urban Street Design Guideline so that these unsafe elements can be removed and curb pedestrians, cyclist deaths,” he said.
