BANASTARIM: Three lives were snuffed out in a horrific accident reported on approach road of the Banastarim Bridge on Sunday evening when a speeding Mercedes car rammed into oncoming traffic. The vehicle proceeding towards Panjim mowed down two two-wheelers and collided against three cars proceeding towards Ponda.
Lives Snuffed out: Suresh Phadte and his wife Bhavana
Among the deceased include a couple identified as Suresh Phadte (58) and his wife Bhavana (52) residents of Divar and Anup Karmakar (26), a resident of Undir-Bandora. All of them were travelling on two-wheelers. Three persons were also seriously injured and are undergoing treatment at the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim.
The police gave the names of the injured as Vanita Bhandari, Raj Majgaonkar and Shankar Halarnkar. Vanita is learnt to have sustained multiple fractures while the other two have suffered head injuries. Vanita was later shifted to orthopaedic ward while Majgaonkar was admitted in the neurology ward and Halarnkar was referred to Neurosurgery ward.
According to eyewitnesses, the speeding Mercedes car on reaching the approach road on the bridge went in the opposite direction and knocked down oncoming two two-wheelers before colliding with three cars and landed on the footpath.
After the accident, it is learnt that the Mercedes car driver moved swiftly from the spot without administering any assistance to the victims.
The registered owner of the “killer” Mercedes car is Meghana Sawardekar. The cops were tight-lipped and refused to disclose the name of the driver even as it is believed that the driver is a close relative of a prominent hotelier-builder.
Later at night, PI Mohan Gaude informed that Paresh Sawardekar, the driver has been arrested under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and was taken to medical examination late night. All vehicles were towed away.
Gaurish Naik, a relative of injured Raj Majgaonkar said that after the accident the occupants of the Mercedes car started abusing people. He alleged that the police tactfully took the driver to Panjim instead of bringing him to Mardol Police Station and this was done to save somebody influential.
Earlier, the locals suspected that the driver was under the influence of alcohol and demanded the driver be subjected to alcometer test and that he should be placed under arrest and his licence be suspended.
As soon as the news of the bizarre accident spread across, the locals and daily commuters rushed to the site and were shocked to find that the luxury vehicles were violating the speed restrictions of 30-40 kmph on the bridge.
The Mardol Police conducted the panchanama and sent the bodies to the GMC morgue for post-mortem examination.
Veling-Priol Sarpanch narrates Gruesome scene
Was in complete shock after seeing people crying for help: Harsha Gaude
Banastarim: Narrating the horrific accident on Banastarim Bridge, Veling-Priol-Cuncoliem sarpanch Harsha Gaude said that she was in complete shock when she saw people crying for help after the accident.
“I was returning from Bambolim to Ponda along with my husband in a car and we were behind the three cars which collided against the oncoming Mercedes car. The accident took place at around 7.30 pm when we saw something amiss and soon noticed smoke from a car in front of us,” she said.
“For a moment we did not know what was happening and the movement of vehicles came to a standstill as we saw no vehicle coming in the opposite direction. We went in front and saw accident involving vehicles and occupants in cars crying for help. Two persons were lying on the road, while a woman was crying for help to rescue her minor son, while another car driver, whose legs were trapped near the steering rack, too asked for help,” Gaude said.
She said that she immediately contacted Bhoma sarpanch, Mardol PI Mohan Gaude and requested them to immediately to rush to the spot to help the injured. The police and ambulance arrived and shifted the injured to the hospital.
She said, “It was for the first time in my life that I witnessed such horrific accident on the bridge. Looking at the scene and on hearing the cries of the injured, I was touched. We were behind the three cars which collided against the Mercedes car. I saw the mangled remains of the two-wheelers which I can’t even describe.”