While 14 people died on Charoti highway yesterday after a container collided with a bus, another accident on the same road claimed two more lives recently.
A Malad-based family of five was on its way back from attending a wedding in Ahmedabad when their car skidded off the Charoti highway around 10.30 pm on May 25. Praful Darjee, 39, travelling with his wife, two kids and mother lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash that killed his wife Daksha (33), and mother Anjana (59).
A kilometre before the Charoti toll naka, the highway narrows from three lanes to two, which Praful said was the cause of the accident. The car skidded off the highway and plunged into the gorge by the side of the road, coming to halt at the pillars of an under-construction bridge below. Praful, who was conscious, called for help and had his mother and wife taken to Charoti municipal hospital for immediate medical care. But they were declared dead on arrival. Praful and his two children, Kunal and Kangna, aged 13 and 6 respectively, escaped with minor injuries.
‘Mom will be back’
Kangna, who is in Std I, has been continuously asking for her mother. Praful says he has not choice but to answer his daughter’s questions with comforting replies. “‘She has gone for some work, she will be back soon,’ is all I can tell my daughter,” said a devastated Praful. Praful had to send his daughter away to his sister’s house as relatives from his native place were arriving to mourn the two accidental deaths in the family. Kunal, though shaken, has stood by to give solace to his father. Praful’s neighbour Hitesh said, “They were a happy family. This tragedy has changed not only their lives but ours as well.”
