Truck driver held for woman biker’s death in Mumbai
MUMBAI : The driver of the truck that crushed Mumbai biker Jagruti Viraj Hogale on the Jawhar-Dahanu highway on Sunday was arrested for negligent driving.
Hogale was leading a group of bikers to Jawhar for a weekend getaway. Around 9am, she tried to overtake the truck near the Vaiti village and swerved her motorcycle to avoid a pothole when she was crushed by the truck. By the time Hogale’s friends, who were behind here, reached her, she was dead.
The driver, Vijay Yadav, 35, was arrested for negligent and rash driving, and was produced before a Dahanu court on Monday afternoon, said a Kasa police official.
The police said the truck, which was loaded with iron materials, was seized and a probe was on.
After the accident on Sunday, the police had charged Hogale for negligent driving.
“We registered a case under section 304 (a) (negligent driving) against Hogale. She should have shown better judgement while riding her bike. Had she swerved to the right, she would have probably survived as she was wearing a helmet,” a police official said.
Upkeep of roads, or lack of it, in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra becomes a talking point every rainy season as potholed roads often turn into death traps.
Following Hogale’s death, Maharashtra’s public works minister Chandrakant Patil said he has sought a report on the bad condition of roads. He, however, said the pock-marked roads cannot be repaired till the heavy rain stops.
“We completed the maintenance works of all roads before the monsoon. There have been issues on some roads that have led to accidents,” Patil said.
Hogale is survived by her husband Viraj and nine-year-old son Harshit. She was a member of the Bikerni Motorcycle Club that was started in 2011. One of the group’s most active members, she made several trips to Leh and Ladakh.