Drunk driver rams car into trailer on Eastern Express Highway, friend killed

MUMBAI: In a drunk driving case, a young businessman from Ulhasnagar was killed when the Honda Accord driven by his friend rammed into a container at Eastern Express Highway at Vikhroli early on Tuesday morning.
Victim Dinesh Kulkarni, 26, and Jinesh Nigam, 27, who was at the wheel, had come to Versova to attend a party at a friend's place and were returning when the accident took place.
Nigam, also a businessman from Ulhasnagar, received minor injuries.He has been booked for causing death by negligence, and culpable homicide not amounting to murder, a charge usually slapped in cases where drunk driving causes fatality. He has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
“Nigam's blood reports revealed that he was driving under the influence of alcohol,“ said Sridhar Hanchate, senior inspector of Vikhroli police station.
After partying through the night at Versova, Nigam and Kulkarni left Versova in the early hours of Tuesday in their black Accord, said the police. At around 5.40am, when they had reached the Eastern Express Highway , Nigam tried to overtake a container trailer from the right. As their car was in high speed and Nigam was under the influence, he miscalculated the length of the container and rammed into it. “The impact of the accident was huge and immediately the sa fety air bags deployed. But Kulkarni's air bag burst and, sitting on the left, he bore the brunt of the impact. Kulkarni was rushed to hospital but was declared dead before admission,“ said Hanchate. Nigam received minor injuries on his face and hands. He was treated and discharged, when the police arrested him.