Driver dead as truck hits bus, narrow escape for passengers

The speeding truck, which was carrying metal utensils and sheets, rammed into the bus from behind. Inspector Vitthal Kshirsagar of Talegaon Dabhade police station said the stationary Volvo bus had its engine on the rear side. As the truck hit it from behind, both the engines collided causing a major fire. Truck driver Shivaji Munde got stuck between the steering wheel and the seat and could not come out.

Kshirsagar added: “The truck was coming in very high speed. The metal sheets and utensils broke the driver’s cabin due to the sudden jerk. There were 40 passengers in the bus. Some of them had got down when the bus stopped while some were still inside. Fortunately, they all got down immediately after the collision.” The charred body of the driver was taken out in the morning.

The police initially suspected that one more person was trapped in the cleaner’s seat under the heavy metal sheets. But it was confirmed by evening that only Munde was in the truck, said Kshirsagar.
Newsline had reported in the past that around 10 per cent of the accidents on the Expressway take place after speeding vehicles ram into stationary ones.

A senior officer with the state highway police said: “The broken down vehicles have caused accidents on the expressway, especially on the patches with sharp turns and slopes. Despite repeated communication to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, no parking bays have been constructed along the expressway.”