Mumbai: A 52-year-old BEST bus conductor lost his life after being crushed between two buses in Andheri West on Thursday afternoon. The deceased, identified as Shekhar Rawate, suffered fatal injuries during a chain collision involving four buses.
Accident Details
The incident occurred around 1:15 pm on SV Road between Ambivali Naka and Rajkumar bus stop. According to DN Nagar police, they are in the process of registering an FIR and have detained the drivers and conductors of all four buses to record their statements. An arrest is expected after reviewing CCTV footage to determine which driver was responsible.
All four buses were moved to the bus depot to clear traffic congestion on SV Road. Police have sought CCTV footage to ascertain fault. Preliminary reports indicate that the mishap happened when traffic slowed due to a large tree falling on the road near Amboli Naka, causing congestion. Three buses operated by wet lease contractor Mateshwari (routes 266, 242, and 249) were stationary in a queue. A fourth bus, an electric vehicle operated by another contractor, PMI, from Oshiwara depot, rammed into them from behind.
Police Statement
DN Nagar police senior inspector Rajendra Machidar stated that a case will be registered against the driver of bus number three under negligence sections. The chain collision occurred when the fourth bus lost control and hit the third bus, which then struck the second, and the second hit the first. Rawate, the conductor of the first bus, stepped out to assess the situation and moved between buses three and four. At that moment, the driver of bus number three reversed, crushing Rawate between the two vehicles.
All drivers and conductors were taken to DN Nagar police station for questioning. The accused driver will be arrested after collecting evidence, as drivers of buses four and three blame each other. The panchnama process is underway at Cooper Hospital, where Rawate's family has been called.
BEST Committee Inquiry
BEST has formed an inquiry committee to conduct a detailed probe and recommend preventive measures. Sunil Ganacharya, a BEST committee member at the scene, noted that Rawate stepped out of his vehicle and walked between the last two buses to see what happened. One of the buses moved again and hit him. Ganacharya urged the undertaking to investigate driver negligence. The fourth bus driver was a BEST full-time driver.
Rawate was critically injured and rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Preliminary findings suggest the PMI bus driver may have failed to notice Rawate crossing in front of his bus amid traffic congestion. Police and transport authorities are examining driver statements.
