Survivor doesn’t know his family perished in mishap

Vilas Dhebe shuddered as he recalled the accident that claimed 12 lives at Nagothane on the Mumbai-Goa highway on Friday morning.

Vilas Dhebe (35) shuddered as he recalled the accident that claimed 12 lives at Nagothane on the Mumbai-Goa highway on Friday morning. Little did he know that he is soon to receive news that will cause him greater pain than the injuries he received in the head-on collision between a truck and the Tata Sumo in which he was travelling to Khed with his wife Vaishali (30) and son Harsh (5).

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Dhebe, who is being treated for a fracture on his left leg, a head injury and multiple bruises, had not been told till late on Friday that his wife and son did not survive the crash.

“A shiver ran down my spine as I saw the speeding truck approach. I blacked out on impact. The only thing I can remember is that I was howling in pain,” recalled Dhebe (35). “While the accident occurred at 2.30 am, I lay writhing in pain for at least an hour before a police van spotted us,” he said.

The Dhebes and four relatives were among the 16 people travelling to Khed district to attend the wedding of Vaishali’s cousin.

Anil Kokare, a relative, said Dhebe had been asking for his family ever since he regained consciousness. “After being operated upon, Dhebe asked several times to meet Vaishali and Harsh. Fearing that his condition will worsen, we have not yet broken the news of their deaths to him,” Kokare said. “We keep telling him that they are stable and are being treated in another ward.”

Relatives said Vaishali was alive when she was extricated from the wreck but died en route to hospital. “She was bleeding profusely and succumbed to her injuries at Chembur,” said Kokare.

Harsh died on the spot. “His body was badly mangled. We could identify him only from his clothes,” said Kokare.