A 77-year-old man from Trombay was mowed down by a tempo on Sion-Panvel Highway in Vashi on Monday morning.
Madhukar Sitaram Koli, a retired BARC employee, was crossing the road from Wockhardt hospital to Vashi gaon when he was hit by a milk tempo going towards Mumbai. He sustained a head injury and fractured his right leg and hand.
“At the time of the accident, a policeman from Mumbai was passing by and he informed the control room. Koli was rushed to the NMMC Hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. We contacted his sons and they claimed the body,” sub-inspector Sopan Rakhonde, Vashi police station, said.
The police has got the registration number of the tempo and are trying to trace the accused. “Koli’s sons said he was undergoing treatment with Fortis Hospital and had probably come for some check-up,” Mr. Rakhonde said.
Last year in May, another pedestrian was killed on the highway, after which 300 Vashi gaon residents staged a rasta roko under the leadership of former corporator Dashrath Bhagat.
“There is a subway to cross the road which is in poor condition and cannot be used. The signal has not been working there ever since road work started. We have been demanding two service roads along the highway for 10 years but our demands have fallen on deaf ears,” Mr. Bhagat said.
He said the highway has service roads from Sanpada to Kharghar, which are necessary in order to bring down accident rates. “We have also been requesting for a foot overbridge,” Mr. Bhagat said.
