Navi Mumbai: A day after a speeding car dashed against the divider on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) before turning turtle twice, the Nhava Sheva police on Monday filed a case against Zara Saqueer, 35, the woman behind the wheels, for rash driving. First such near-fatal mishap after the MTHL's recent opening, the incident took place on Sunday. And, the dramatic footage was recorded in the dashcam of another vehicle.
As per the recording's timestamp, the crash happened at about 2.50pm.
MTHL Bridge Mishap Captured On Live Video
The visuals shows a speeding Maruti, bearing registration no MH 02 EK 7807, attempting to overtake other vehicles. In the blink of an eye, the car rams into the divider and comes to grinding halt after flipping over twice. Miraculously, Saqueer accompanied by another woman, a kid and two boys escaped almost unhurt.
According to police, they were heading towards Chirle when the woman tried to change lanes without any indication. “Whether she was overspeeding or lost control over the vehicle is part of the ongoing investigation. We have registered a case under the Indian Penal Code sections 279 (driving/riding a vehicle on public ways in a rash or negligent manner) and 336 (doing any act which endangers human life or the personal safety of others),” a senior police official said not wishing to be named. The official continued that owing to the sheer speed, the car dashed into the divider and turned turtle twice. “All the occupants received minor scratches and there were no serious injuries to anyone. However, the car has been damaged,” the cop added.
Meanwhile, the driver of the vehicle – that captured the mishap in its dashcam – took to social media to share his firsthand account of the crash. Thankful for being “saved by the nick of time”, the driver felt that the accident was a result of high speed that led to losing control over the vehicle. The car's aerodynamics went bad due to drag air flow coming from vehicles in the front coupled with heavy sea breeze; that led the four-wheeler to lose stability, the driver surmised.
Touted as India's longest sea bridge that connects Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, the MTHL was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on January 12. Just days after the grand opening, over 130 challans were issued in a single day to the motorists for stopping at the bridge to click photos despite prohibition on halting. Many revelers were seen climbing the steel fences to capture the 'moment'.
If that wasn't enough, an auto-rickshaw sneaked on the MTHL despite no entry for three-wheelers and motorcycles. Photos of the auto were widely circulated on social media, prompting the Mumbai police to take action. Tractors, tractors with unladen trolleys, animal-drawn and slow-moving vehicles are not allowed on the MTHL.
