Daijiworld Media Network - Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai, Jul 13: A 19-year-old youth lost his life and his friend sustained critical injuries after their scooter rammed into the rear of a truck allegedly parked without safety precautions on the Mangaon–Shrivardhan road in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Mohatsim Mubin Dhanse, while the injured pillion rider, Sufiyan Nasir Bandarkar, both aged 19 and residents of Morba village in Mangaon taluka, is undergoing treatment.
According to police, the accident occurred around 2.15 p.m. near the river bridge at Rile village, about one kilometre before Mangaon. The two youths were travelling from Morba towards Mangaon when their scooter crashed into a stationary truck parked along the roadside.
Police Sub-Inspector Sagar Jadhav of Mangaon Police Station said neither of the riders was wearing a helmet, resulting in severe head injuries upon impact. Dhanse suffered fatal injuries to his head and left hand, while Bandarkar sustained a serious head injury near the back of his neck.
Investigators alleged that the truck driver had failed to follow basic safety measures while parking the vehicle. According to police, the truck was left without its parking lights switched on and without placing a reflective warning triangle or safety marker behind it to alert approaching motorists.
Both victims were rushed to the Mangaon Sub-District Hospital, where doctors declared Dhanse dead on arrival. Owing to the seriousness of his condition, Bandarkar was later shifted to Apollo Hospital in Belapur for specialised treatment.
The truck driver, identified as 30-year-old Ishwar Govind Rathod of Taloja in Navi Mumbai, told police that he had parked the vehicle on the roadside to eat snacks while observing a Saturday fast.
Police suspect the scooter rider may have been overtaking a heavy vehicle from the left and failed to notice the stationary truck in time, leaving little opportunity to avoid the collision.
A case has been registered against Rathod under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death by negligence. He has been detained for questioning and served with a notice under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), directing him to cooperate with the investigation and appear before police and the court whenever required.