TURNS TO P3
Mumbai: Two 18-year-old men died in a crash after their car they were travelling in hit the road divider on Western Express Highway, at Vile Parle, around 4.30 am on Saturday. The two collegians –– Sartak Kaushik and Jalaj Dhir — were seated in the rear when the crash occurred while they were on their way from Bandra to Goregaon. The car was cruising at a speed of “120 to 150kmph when it went out of control”, the police said.
In the front seat were their friends of the same age — Jedan Jimmy and Sahil Menda who was driving at the time, the police said.
The teenager who was driving has been arrested. The teenager who was driving at the time of the crash has claimed that he had not consumed any alcohol, the police said. “His blood sample has been collected to verify his claim,” said an officer from Vile Parle police station.
The teen who was at the wheel attributed the cause of the crash to a “moment of indecision — whether to continue on the Expressway or to swerve onto the service road at Vile Parle” had led to the crash, the officer quoted the teenager as saying. He has a valid driving licence.
Hours before the accident, the friends had taken an autorickshaw and reached a fifth friend’s Andheri home at 7.30 pm. Jimmy has, in his statement to the police, said: “…we consumed some liquor and food…” He has said this happened while Menda [the arrested teen] who was with them until then left for home and joined them again later that evening. Around midnight, Kaushik and Menda joined them and they decided to go for a drive. Around 3.30 am they got into Menda’s sedan and left for Bandra,Jimmy has told the police.
While on their way to Bandra, Jimmy drove Menda’s car with the other three. They picked up food at bandra, and on their return trip to Goregaon, Menda got into the driver’s seat. “Oon reaching Vile Parle, they were undecided about driving on the highway or taking the service road, Jimmy told the police in his statement.
“Menda suddenly turned at high speed [120-150 kmph] where he hit the divider…” he has stated.
People who gathered at the spot soon after the crash helped transport the two teens in the rear seat to hospital while Jimmy informed the parents of the two about the accident.
Of the two who died, Kaushik was a science student at a college in Vile Parle while Dhir was pursuing business administration
The arrested teenager has been charged under section 106 (1) of Bharat Nyay Sanhita which deals with causing death by negligence.