Biker not wearing helmet dies in BEST bus mishap

MUMBAI: A 26-year-old man riding a Honda Dio scooter, without wearing a helmet, died of head injuries after a speeding BEST bus brushed past his bike in Sakinaka

MUMBAI: A 26-year-old man riding a Honda Dio scooter, without wearing a helmet, died of head injuries after a speeding BEST bus brushed past his bike in Sakinaka on Wednesday. The police said the bus driver was guilty of speeding, but added that the man would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

HT Image

Local residents were outraged by the incident and damaged three BEST buses, affecting traffic for half an hour.

Sakinaka police said the incident took place at 7am on Khairani road near SJ studio, while the bus was moving towards Chandivli from Ghatkopar.

“The bus was heading straight and the two-wheeler came out of a lane. The road was curvy and a little steep. The bus was speeding and brushed past the scooter. The accident could have been averted if the bus was not speeding. The scooter has some scratches but no major damage,” said a police official.

While the pillion rider, Sumit Chandanshive, 17, suffered minor injuries, the driver Pravin Arun Pujari , a musician, was knocked down and hit his head on the divider. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died on the way. Pujari is survived by his mother and four brothers. He was unmarried.

The local residents enraged by the BEST bus driver, identified as Tanaji Kumbhar, 46, blocked the bus’s way and assaulted him. They also abused the conductor. They then hurled stones damaging the BEST bus as well as two other BEST buses coming from behind. The passengers in all the three buses had to face inconvenience as all of them were made to get down and the buses were taken to police station. Owing to the sudden rioting, the traffic was slow for half an hour.

About 12 to 15 unknown persons have been booked for rioting and destroying public property. The bus driver was been arrested for causing death due to negligence.