Here's why Punekars are recalling the Santosh Mane case after Navale Bridge incident

Pune: A driver lost control over his truck after its brake failed on Tuesday morning at around 11am on the Navale Bridge at Sinhagad Road. The truck collided with about 10 to 18 cars and other vehicles and killed one person while critically injuring five others. This incident brought back memories of the eight year old Santosh Mane thriller case in which the State Transport bus driver had gone on a rampage hitting several vehicles and causing nine deaths.

The Navale Bridge connects the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway to the Sinhagad road in the city. The truck which was speeding on the bridge crushed 10 two wheelers and 8 four wheelers on the stretch. According to primary information received, at least five persons are critically injured in the accident and have succumbed to injuries. Meanwhile, traffic on the entire stretch got affected due to this accident.

According to police, the truck was heading towards Dehu Road from Navale Bridge on Tuesday morning at around 11am. The brake of the truck failed at that time and hence the driver lost control over the vehicle. Since the entire stretch of the Navale bridge towards Sinhagad road is a continuous slope, the truck was speeding and the driver could not control it.

After losing control over the truck, the vehicle rammed into eight to ten two-wheelers and further collided with eight to nine four wheelers. Commuters were scared and started looking to save their lives. The passengers who were stuck in vehicles which were hit by the truck could not save themselves and were screaming for help.

Bharati Vidyapeeth police and traffic police personnel rushed to the spot. Political and social activists also reached the spot and started helping commuters. Police with the help of local citizens, arranged for private vehicles and shifted the injured persons to the nearby hospital for treatment. Police are ascertaining the identity of the injured and deceased persons. Traffic police personnel meanwhile managed to remove the damaged vehicles from the road and cleared the traffic.