A 21-year-old man died while his friend was injured after a truck knocked down their bike on the Port Trust Road, in Mazagaon, on Friday morning.

The accident occurred around 8.30am close to the eastern freeway when the deceased, Harshad Patil, who works with the state government, was riding with his 28-year-old friend Bhimrao Kadam, who works in a private firm.

The two of them live in the same building in Sion-Koliwada and were headed to their workplaces in south Mumbai. The police suspect that Patil, who was riding in the middle of the road, with the truck to his left and a divider to his right, may have tried to overtake the heavy vehicle. “There was sufficient space for the bike to overtake the truck, but the truck driver suddenly veered to his right, knocking down the bike,” said Sunil Budhkar, sub-inspector, Sewri police station. While Patil fell from his bike and was crushed under the rear wheels of the truck, Kadam was flung away and suffered a few bruises.

“Patil had no space to move. The truck driver sped away,” said Budhkar. Kadam and Patil were rushed to JJ Hospital, where the latter succumbed to his injuries.

Senior inspector Gajanan Kurhade said the truck driver is yet to be arrested. The police checked the CCTV footage of the toll plaza and have zeroed-in on a few trucks. However, the number plates are not clearly visible. They will write to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at Sewri to check if their CCTVs have captured the accused truck driver. A case has been registered against the unidentified accused under sections 279 and 304 A of the Indian Penal Code and sections and 134 A and B of the Motor Vehicles Act. The accident comes two days after a Ghatkopar resident and his son were run over by a speeding truck on Thursday.

First Published: Jan 20, 2019 00:27 IST