A 23-year-old motorcyclist was beheaded after an unidentified speeding car rammed his bike and fled the scene in a hit-and-run accident on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving the 17-year-old motorcyclist seriously injured, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Prashant Vijay Jamdad, 23, who died instantly after his head was separated from his body due to the impact of the collision, according to police officials. The injured survivor, Harman Kaur, 17, is being treated for multiple injuries at DY Patil Hospital in Nerul. Police said she was in critical condition.
An FIR has been registered against an unidentified vehicle driver at Sanpada police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and the Motor Vehicles Act, including charges of causing death by negligence, rash driving and failure to render assistance.
According to preliminary investigations, the duo was riding an Apache RR motorcycle around 3 am, heading from Sarsol Signal towards Morag Circle, when the accident occurred in front of Kesar Solitaire Building in Sector 19, Sanpada. The police said that the victims were returning from Ulwe after meeting friends and were heading towards Koparkhairan when the accident occurred.
A police officer said: “The impact of the collision was extremely severe. The rider suffered catastrophic injuries, including decapitation and multiple serious injuries, resulting in his immediate death.”
The back seat passenger suffered serious injuries to her legs and head and remains under medical care.
Senior Police Inspector Devidas Katale of Sanpada Police Station said investigators had asked to examine two vehicles suspected of being involved in the accident.
“Statements issued by the owners and drivers of these vehicles will provide clarity on the accident. CCTV footage from the stretch is being examined to ascertain exactly which vehicle hit the two-wheeler,” Catale said. A team of forensics and crime branch officials visited the site and collected technical and material evidence from the scene. According to the investigating officer, it is suspected that Jamdad’s head hit a roadside barrier during the collision, resulting in fatal injuries. “These are preliminary assumptions. The exact sequence of events will only be confirmed after the accused is arrested,” the officer said.
The number of victims of Palm Beach Road accidents has increased
The latest incident adds to a growing list of high-speed traffic crashes reported on Palm Beach Road over the past year, raising concerns about speeding along the busy arterial stretch.
In December last year, a 22-year-old was killed and another man injured in a late-night collision near Morag Circle in Sanpada. Sanpada police have registered a case against the driver of the four-wheeler who allegedly hit the two-wheelers of the victims while driving at excessive speed.
The deceased, Kewal Sandeep Mhatre, a resident of Sarasoli village in Navi Mumbai, was traveling with his friend Vinesh Salunkhe, 25, around 12:30 am when a speeding car hit their bike.
In another accident that occurred on July 28 of last year, a Mercedes Benz overturned on Palm Beach Road after the driver lost control while speeding, resulting in a young man being seriously injured and another with minor injuries.
According to Nerul Police, the accident took place around 2 am when a Mercedes car (MH-02-FN-1206) driven by Muhammad Salman Sheikh, 20, of Sector 50, Seawoods, crashed while traveling along the road. His friend Muhammad Sufyan Sheikh, 19 years old, was sitting next to him at the time.
