Dumper was overloaded by 75%

The dumper that crashed into 18 vehicles at Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), leaving two people dead yesterday, had been overloaded by 75% of its capacity, the police have said.

The dumper that crashed into 18 vehicles at Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), leaving two people dead on Friday, had been overloaded by 75% of its capacity, the police have said. The truck was ferrying red soil from Navi Mumbai to a construction site at Andheri.

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The MIDC police who are investigating the case have received the report from the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Andheri, mentioning that the driver of the dumper lost control of the vehicle as it was carrying a load of more than 75% its capacity.

“The RTO report states the vehicle was overloaded. The accident took place because of heat, load and friction between the tyre and road causing the right front tyre to burst,” said senior inspector, Suresh Hujband from the MIDC police station.

Police have booked the driver Babu Kamble, 49 under section 304 (2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 326 (causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50) of the Indian Penal Code.

Both the driver and cleaner of the dumper had fled the spot but the driver was traced a few hours later, the police said.

The incident occurred around 1.30 pm close to the Durga Nagar junction at JVLR. The dumper was coming from Navi Mumbai to deliver red soil to a construction site in Andheri when it first hit a motorbike, four autos, a van and a taxi, following which it ran over a mother-son duo, Chandrabhabha Jadhav, 50, and her son, Arun 35, both ragpickers. It then came back on to the road and about 100 metres before the Durga Nagar junction, as the vehicles slowed down to stop at the approaching signal, the dumper hit an Innova car which hit a Swift Dzire ahead, subsequently leading to a trail of about nine other damaged vehicles, mostly cars.