Mumbai’s Sion-Panvel highway a high-risk zone: Speeding tanker kills BARC scientist, husband

Mumbai police said it is likely that the couple died on the spot, owing to severe head injuries

A scientific officer working with the Bhabha Atomic Research Center and her husband were crushed by a speeding milk tanker on the Sion-Panvel highway around 8.48 am on Wednesday.

The milk tanker that crushed the couple. (HT File)

Police requested that the identities of the couple, who are in their 40s, be withheld, as their 19-year-old son has not yet been informed of their deaths.

While the scientist has an MTech degree, her husband is a businessman. Their son is currently studying engineering.

The couple was heading towards Sion on a bike, when a six-wheeler milk tempo knocked them down near Ganesh hotel. Police said the man was dropping his wife to work when the accident occurred.

“They left their house in Nehru Nagar, Kurla, and were on their way to BARC when they were hit,” said Sashikant Mane, senior inspector, Govandi police station.The impact was such that the couple fell on the road, following which they were mowed down by the tanker.

They sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them dead before arrival. Police said it is likely that the couple died on the spot, owing to severe head injuries.

He was arrested and a case registered against him under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and section 184 (driving dangerously) of The Motor Vehicles Act.

The police said they have found a witness. “A biker, who riding behind the tanker, saw what happened,” said Mane.

A spate of accidents and near misses have spooked motorists plying on the Sion-Panvel highway, an important link between the city, neighbouring Navi Mumbai and Pune.

Police said motorists driving at a high speeds lose control when they suddenly spot a vehicle in front of them or when a two-wheeler veers too close.

The recent death of veteran cyclist Ashok Khale, 64, who was knocked down by a car on the highway had raised concerns over the safety measures on the road.

The award-winning cyclist died after being hospitalised for a week since a suspected hit-and-run accident in Mankhurd on November 5.

A 25-year-old man, who had taken him to the hospital, was arrested after he confessed that he had caused the crash.