Major accident on Pune Highway: 48-car pile-up on Pune

In a major accident on the Pune-Bengaluru highway, over 40 vehicles were damaged as per an ANI report. The accident occurred on Sunday evening after a truck lost its control on the downward slope of Navale bridge on the highway. Eight people among those injured were hospitalized according to a police official quoted by PTI. The cause of the accident is suspected to be the brake failure of the truck. 

At least six people were injured, ten to 15 people received minor injuries in the incident and they were given first aid on the spot. However, six to eight others were shifted to two hospitals for treatment, the official said. Fortunately, there is no loss of human life in the accident," Suhel Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police said.

After a string of earlier accidents on the road near Pune’s Navale Bridge, It is suspected that the brakes of the tanker, which was headed to Pune, failed and it collided into several vehicles on Navale bridge, PTI reported. Several people suffered injuries in the major accident on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway but no casualties were reported. Due to the high slope of the road and the high speed of vehicles, the Navale bridge area is prone to accidents. The damaged vehicles are being removed from the road. 

According to officials, most of the recommendations of the report were acted upon, bringing down the number of accidents on the road, and added that Sunday night’s accident is the first major one on the stretch in the last six months. The report by SaveLIFE Foundation had indicated considerable potential for improvements at the spot, besides the need for carrying out regular maintenance.

Officials said the audit report pointed to absent or inadequate traffic calming measures, absence of effective crash barriers, vision obstruction due to excessive vegetation, absent/damaged signage boards, risky service lane openings, poor ‘construction zone’ management, exposed concrete structure, hazardous pedestrian crossings, commuters waiting for public transportation, faded pavement markings and poor road and pavement surface conditions.