Two die after autorickshaw hits parked tempo during midnight

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A tragic accident occurred late Monday night when an auto-rickshaw carrying a woman and two young women home after a medical check-up collided with a stationary mini-tempo on the road. The crash was so severe that the rickshaw was completely destroyed. 42-year-old Rukmini Kachru Yenge (Ranjangaon) and the rickshaw driver Raees Shaikh Habib (34, Garkheda) died on the spot, while Sheetal More (24) and Payal Varde (19), both from Ranjangaon, sustained critical injuries. The accident took place at around 2 am at Golwadi phata near Chawani flyover.

Rukmini, who stays with her husband and son, suddenly experienced severe chest pain on Monday evening. Her son Ganesh decided to take her to a doctor at night. Along with local residents Sheetal and Payal, Rukmini was taken in a rickshaw to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment. After receiving treatment, the three women were returning towards Ranjangaon in Raees’s rickshaw.

Meanwhile, a tempo carrying sugarcane had suffered a tyre puncture after crossing the Chawani Flyover, and its driver Akash Mali (28) had stopped it on the road. Due to the lack of street lighting, Raees failed to notice the stationary tempo, and the rickshaw collided directly with it. The loud crash drew the attention of nearby motorists, who rushed to the scene and alerted the police.

Driver trapped, hydraulic cutters used to free him

Rukmini, Sheetal, and Payal, seated in the back of the rickshaw, were seriously injured. The rickshaw was destroyed due to the impact. Locals pulled the three women out and admitted them to the hospital. However, Raees was trapped inside. A fire brigade team, led by duty officer Deepraj Gangawane, used hydraulic cutters to remove the rickshaw’s handle and extricate him. Rukmini and Raees were pronounced dead at the scene. Sheetal and Payal remain in critical condition and are undergoing treatment in the ICU, doctors said.

Family had moved to the city 11 months ago

Rukmini’s family hails from Mamdabad in Jalna district. She and her husband Kachru own half an acre of farmland in their village, but due to low agricultural income, they had moved to the city 11 months ago in search of work. In Ranjangaon, Rukmini, her husband, and their son worked in a company to earn their livelihood. They also have three married daughters.

Son witnesses mother’s death just moments away

After Rukmini was admitted to the hospital, her son Ganesh followed on a two-wheeler. After treatment, he had sent his mother and the two young women home in the rickshaw, following closely behind. Just moments later, the rickshaw collided with the tempo, resulting in his mother’s death. Ganesh was traumatised upon witnessing the accident.

The tempo involved in the accident has been seized. The deceased family members have indicated that they will file a formal complaint with the police after the funeral, after which a case will be registered, said Dr Vivek Jadhav, officer-in-charge of Chawani police station.