Youth found dead in near toll plaza after night crash

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A 28-year-old man from Harsul died in a suspected road accident near the Pathri toll plaza in the wee hours of the Sunday morning. His body was found along with his motorcycle in a roadside ditch on Sunday morning, hours after the mishap.

The deceased, Atul Hiwale, a resident of Ektanagar, Harsul, was on his way to attend a wedding at his in-laws’ home in Palshi (Taluka Sillod). He was riding his two-wheeler (MH-20-CA-5387) along the Jalgaon highway around 11 pm on June 7. Preliminary reports suggest he lost control of the bike and fell into a ditch near the toll plaza. Due to darkness and lack of visibility, the accident went unnoticed until around 7 am the next day when locals discovered the body. Pathri police Patil Shinde alerted Vadod Bazar police. Officers reached the spot, conducted the panchnama, and sent the body to government medical college and hospital for postmortem. The funeral was held later the same day in Harsul. Hiwale is survived by his wife, parents, a brother, and a sister. Investigating officer Sunil Dabhade stated that it is yet to be determined whether the deceased was hit by another vehicle or collided with the toll plaza structure. A probe is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the crash.