Shabana Azmi hurt as car crashes into truck

Actor Shabana Azmi met with a minor accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday evening when the car she was in, rear-ended into a truck. Both vehicles were

Actor Shabana Azmi met with a minor accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday evening when the car she was in, rear-ended into a truck. Both vehicles were moving on the Pune-bound lane. Azmi and her driver sustained injuries. Azmi is currently undergoing treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

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The accident took place near the Khalapur toll booth at 4pm, according to Maharashtra traffic police. Azmi was travelling in a Tata Safari while her husband, lyricist Javed Akhtar, was travelling in an Audi, said police.

“The Safari was being driven by Azmi’s driver, followed by the Audi. The driver tried to overtake another vehicle and crashed into the moving truck from the rear,” said inspector Vishwajeet Kaingade, Khalapur police station.

Within 15 minutes of the accident, the police team reached the spot, but first responders had already taken Azmi to MGM Hospital in Kamothe. Azmi, who was sitting in the passenger seat behind driver Kamlesh Kamath, sustained injuries to her face.

She was later declared out of danger and shifted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri.

Piyush Tewari, founder of SaveLife Foundation, which works towards road safety, said rear-ending is the most common type of accident on the expressway. “It is imperative that drivers do not overtake at high speed from the left as that increases the possibility of a serious crash significantly. In 2019, nearly 50% of fatal crashes on the expressway were rear-ending collisions,” he said.

Neither Akhtar nor Azmi’s manager could be reached for comment.

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