Mumbai: Speeding drunk driver kills friend as their car crashes into truck

The moments of the accident that was caught on CCTV camera

A 29-year-old West Bengal resident was killed and three others were seriously injured after their speeding car crashed near Juhu police station, late Thursday night. Cops said they partied till 3 am after which Ardhvyu Vijay Bandekar, 27, decided to drop his friends at their hotel in his mother's BMW. Drunk and speeding, Bandekar, a merchant navy professional, lost control over the speed breaker, which was not visible in the dark, and rammed into a parked garbage van, said cops.

The accident was captured in a CCTV camera of the petrol pump. The speed breaker ended right before the petrol pump. Sources in the police said the four friends - Bandekar, Pallavi Pal Bhattacharya, 29, Bharti Dilprasad Rai, 24, and Ankit Narendra Khare, 38 - had gone to a bar and restaurant in Saki Naka to party.

In Photos: Speeding drunk driver kills friend as their car crashes into truck in Mumbai

1 year agoPHOTO GALLERY

While Bandekar is a resident of DLH Orchid tower at Lokhandwala complex in Andheri West, Pal Bhattacharya is from West Bengal, Rai from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and Khare from Haryana, they added. The three of them were staying at a five-star hotel in Juhu and went to party with Bandekar in his mother's BMW car. While Bharti is a cabin crew member with an airline, Ankit is the son of a businesperson, said sources.

Also Read: Two friends die after crashing bike in Bandra

The BMC garbage truck that the car crashed into; (right) Atiappa Debendra said he bought his auto just four months ago. Pics/Sameer Markande

They left the Saki Naka bar around 3 am, and Bandekar decided to drop his friends off at their hotel. However, in Juhu, Bandekar, who was drunk, could not see the speed breaker because it was not painted for visual warning, and lost control over his vehicle, said cops. Bandekar then crashed into a parked BMC garbage truck and the impact was so strong that his car was lifted in the air for about 30 metres, cops said. An auto rickshaw parked nearby was also damaged in the accident.

Locals and police rushed them to Copper hospital in an auto rickshaw. While Bhattacharya died on the spot, Bandekar sustained serious injuries to his hand and others are also undergoing treatment. Bandekar was seated in the co-driver seat.

Narrow escape

A young man had a narrow escape during the accident, as he saw the oncoming speeding car and ran to the side of the road. According to locals, he ran to his home after the accident and has not been identified yet.

Newly bought auto

Atiappa Debendra, 61, said he had bought the auto just four months back after borrowing money from his friends and relatives. "I had parked my auto there and gone home to sleep. I rushed there after the commotion and found it completely damaged. Now, I cannot work." Senior Inspector Ajit Vartak of Juhu police station said, "We have registered the FIR under Sections 340A (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 184 (obstructing sale of property offered for sale by authority of public servant). The accused driver was driving drunk."

Girl crushed under car she was travelling in

In another tragic Incident, a 14-year-old girl, Hari Ismeet Kaur, died after the car she was travelling in toppled over in Aarey. They were travelling on a stretch where road construction was still underway, said sources. The girl was seated next to the window and fell out, and was crushed under the car, the sources added. The incident happened around 8.30 pm on May 10 while they were returning from Royal Palms. A 17-year-old resident of Marol was driving the car. Two other teenagers were there in the car, the sources added. She was rushed to the SevenHills Hospital where she was undergoing treatment for injuries to her lungs and stomach. She died on Friday.