Thane Tragedy: Mother & Son Killed On Samruddhi Expressway After Driver Falls Asleep At Wheel

Mumbai: A mother and her young son were killed in a tragic road accident on the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway in the early hours of Sunday, February 1, 2026, after the driver of the car reportedly fell asleep at the wheel.

The accident occurred near junction 39/900 on the Nagpur-bound corridor when the family, travelling from Thane to Nagpur, rammed into a container vehicle at high speed. The force of the impact was devastating. The woman died on the spot, while the child sustained critical injuries and succumbed while being rushed to the hospital.

The car was left damaged and stranded in the middle of the highway, temporarily disrupting traffic flow. Highway police were alerted immediately and reached the spot within minutes. Using a crane, officials cleared the damaged vehicle and restored traffic movement on the expressway.

A Pattern of Serious Crashes

The latest incident adds to a worrying series of accidents reported on the Samruddhi Expressway over the past two months, raising fresh concerns about road safety on the high-speed corridor.

On December 7, 2025, a pickup vehicle carrying vegetables towards Navi Mumbai was struck from behind by a container truck near Shelwali village. The collision, reportedly caused by overspeeding, resulted in severe damage to the smaller vehicle.

Less than a month later, on January 2, 2026, a private bus travelling from Mumbai to Malkapur collided with a truck that abruptly came onto the carriageway around 3 am. The crash occurred near Chainage No. 463.5 under the jurisdiction of the Sillegaon police station in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, after the bus driver failed to react in time.

Earlier, on December 24, 2025, a heavy vehicle lost control inside a tunnel on the Padgha–Mumbai stretch of the expressway. The vehicle overturned due to excessive speed, forcing the closure of one tunnel tube and bringing traffic to a halt for several kilometres.

Safety Concerns Persist

With multiple fatal and high-impact accidents reported in quick succession, questions are being raised about driver fatigue, speed enforcement, night-time monitoring and overall safety mechanisms on the Samruddhi Expressway and actions that are being taken in order to curb the problem.