Three members of a family, including a four-year-old girl, died, while a two-year-old boy was injured in an accident in Dombivli on Tuesday. Ganesh Chaudhari (30), his wife Urmila (25), daughter Hasika, and son Om were all travelling on Ganesh’s Activa scooter when the accident occurred around 9.30 a.m. on Khambalpada Road in the MIDC area.
“The exact sequence of events is still unclear. What we know so far is a dumper hit the scooter from behind, causing all the four riders to fall. The dumper does not seem to have stopped immediately, as Ganesh, Urmila and Hasika were run over by its wheels,” senior police inspector D. Choure, Manpada police station, said.
Passing motorists took all the four to AIMS Hospital in Dombivli, where Ganesh, Urmila and Hasika were declared dead before admission, while Om was admitted with serious injuries.
The driver of the dumper, Baban Gujar (30), was arrested. He has been charged with causing death and endangering life due to rash and negligent driving under the Indian Penal Code along with sections of the Motor Vehicle Act. “The accused was not drunk at the time of the incident and seems to have been driving rashly at a high speed,” Mr. Choure said.
The Chaudharis were residents of Veer Savarkar Road near Ramchandra Cinema in Dombivli (East) and were on their way to drop Hasika at school. Investigating officers said the fact that all four of them were on a single scooter might have contributed to the vehicle losing balance easily, leading to the tragedy.
The police are examining CCTV camera footage around the area and both the vehicles are being examined by a team of experts from the regional transport office.
