Four people, travelling atop the cabin of a bus, sustained injuries after being hit by an iron girder attached to a Metro rail pillar on Wednesday evening in Ghatkopar (west). The driver misjudged the height of the vehicle and decided to drive underneath the bridge, thereby causing the accident. The victims were immediately admitted to Rajawadi Hospital, but their injuries are not life threatening, the police and doctors said.
According to PI Rajkumar Kothimire of Ghatkopar police station, the truck was carrying devotees and a Ganpati idol of the Rickshaw Chalak Mandal and was headed to Juhu for the immersion. “They reached Sant Tukaram Bridge on the Andheri Link Road when the iron girder hit the victims. We had clearly instructed all mandals to not to allow persons atop the cabin, but they did not pay heed to our instructions. The victims have sustained a few scars and gashes on their heads and backs, but the injuries are only superficial. They will be discharged soon,” Mr Kothimire said. The police has only made a diary entry of the incident.
The victims have been identified as Sanjay Gaikwad (40) his brother Vilas (19), Anil Kamble (22) and Somnath Shapalak (23). According to Gaikwad, they had successfully managed to duck and avoid two girders, but failed on the third attempt. Locals also complained that the MMRDA had not addressed the issue of the bridge’s height, which disallowed big Ganpatis to pass through.