Speeding SUV crashes into eatery, kills one & injures 3

PUNE: A speeding SUV crashed into a mess at the Famous Chowk in Sangvi around 1.15pm on Monday, killing its 60-year-old owner on the spot and injuring four others, including the vehicle driver.
The accident occurred after the SUV’s driver lost control over the steering. The deceased, Omprakash Ambadas Pandilwar, of Adarshnagar in Sangvi was sitting at the counter of Anant Bhojanalay (mess) when the SUV crashed into it. Pandilwar’s wife, Suvarna (50), grandson, Anant Avinash Pandilwar (10), and cook, Basavraj Talapate (50), of New Sangvi suffered injuries.



The three victims, along with the SUV driver, Sachin Jadhav (40), were being treated in separate hospitals at Aundh and in Pimpri. “They are out of danger,” Sangvi police inspector Prasad Gokule said.

The speeding SUV uprooted the cement pillar supporting a concrete beam inside the shop. It mowed down Pandilwar, sitting next to the pillar, and stopped after hitting the three injured persons. “The SUV halted after its roof stuck into the beam. Otherwise, the tragedy could have been worse,” said Gokule.

Satyarnarayan Rathi, the father-in-law of the SUV owner, Nikhil Purohit of Sangvi, told TOI that Sachin was on way to pick up his wife in the SUV.

“Sachin has been working with us for the past 10 years. He is a skilled driver and not addicted to anything. I wonder how he lost control,” Rathi said.

Amol Jadhav, a Sangvi resident who had a narrow escape, told TOI, “I was passing by the Ananat Bhojanalay around 1.15pm. The SUV went straight into the shop. I was shocked because I had felt the vehicle’s speed just behind me.”

He said the vehicle crashed into the shop — exactly of the length of the SUV. “I heard screams inside and immediately alerted my friends. I told them to rush to the chowk,” Jadhav said.

Avdhoot Bhandvalkar, who helped in rescuing the persons stuck inside the eatery shop, said its owner, Pandilkar, was lying unconscious on the right side of the SUV. “Pandilkar’s wife, grandson and their cook were lying at its front. We took all of them out of the shop and sent them to a hospital,” he said.

Bhandvalkar said the driver was stuck inside the SUV. “We broke its front door and removed the driver. He was sent to the hospital, too,” he said.

Bhandvalkar said that Pandilwar had given a space in front of his shop to a fruit juice vendor. “He had a narrow escape but his equipment were damaged. He was so frightened that he fled the spot,” he said.

Inspector Gokule said the accident occurred when the driver, Sachin, was heading towards Famous Chowk from Sai Chowk in Sangvi. “There is a speed-beaker before Famous Chowk. The CCTV footage shows the SUV did not slow down at the speed-breaker. The footage also shows that the driver did not make any attempts to slow down and turn right or left. The SUV went straight inside the shop and stopped,” Gokule said.

He said Sachin could only explain why he did not slow down.

“Sachin is currently unconscious and we will record his statement later. There are chances of Sachin losing the control because of some technical or other problems,” Gokule said.

He said that the police had registered an offence of rash driving and causing death because of negligence against Sachin, the speeding SUV driver.