60-year-old woman dies, two injured after tyre burst on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The car toppled after hitting the divider and careened over to the opposite lane.

A 60-year-old woman died while two of her family members suffered injuries after the car they were travelling in toppled owing to tyre burst on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Friday.

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The accident took place near Khalapur, around 30 km from Panvel. The four occupants,including the driver, were returning from Pune to their home in Mumbra.

According to the police, the Honda City was coming from Pune. As it was crossing Mahadik village around 8.30 am, one of the tyres exploded.

“The driver lost control of the vehicle. The car toppled after hitting the divider and careened over to the opposite lane. Thankfully, there were no vehicles in that lane,” said SB Thakur, sub-inspector of Khalapur police station.

Three people suffered severe injuries and were taken to MGM hospital in Kamothe. Sayibida Abdul Shaikh, 60, a resident of Mumbra, succumber to her injuries.

“The injured have been identified as Sayibida’s husband, Abdul Hamid Shaikh, 75; and Rizwan Shaikh, 32. They are being treated,” Thakur said.

According to experts, apart from tyre bursts, human error is one of the major reasons for accidents on the expressway. Hemant Sharma, socio-legal head of Sahayak NGO and a road expert, said, “The explosion occurs when friction heat expands the tyre. Nitrogen gas can help in keeping the tyres cool during friction. It is available at almost all petrol pumps.”

“Most motorists do not check tyres properly before undertaking a long journey. This factor is contributing to more tyre bursts,” he said.