Pune: A young woman lost both her legs after being hit by a speeding dumper on Thursday (October 10) at around 8 AM in Wagholi.
The woman, identified as 23-year-old Manisha Balasaheb Mandalik, was crossing the Pune-Nagar Highway when the accident happened. MLA Ashok Pawar, who was passing by the scene, immediately rushed her to the hospital in his car, and she is currently receiving treatment in a private hospital in Pune.
The accident took place near the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Wagholi when Manisha was crossing the highway, and a dumper, reportedly overloaded, struck her.
The wheels of the vehicle ran over her legs, leaving her seriously injured. MLA Pawar was on his way to a ritual ceremony when his driver noticed the accident. Without delay, Pawar acted swiftly, helping the woman by wrapping her in a shawl and transporting her to a nearby private hospital.
Due to the severity of her injuries, she was later shifted to a larger private hospital in Pune for advanced treatment. The dumper driver fled the scene following the accident. Despite regulations banning dumper movement from 7 AM to 11 AM, violations of this ban are rampant.
Manisha was initially taken to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, but the hospital informed them that there was no bed available in the ICU. On learning this, MLA Pawar contacted various authorities, including the District Collector and the Charity Commissioner, to secure a bed for her.
However, there was a delay of over an hour and a half, during which time the injured woman remained in the ambulance without receiving immediate treatment.
This delay sparked frustration and anger from Pawar, who also criticized the District Collector for not responding to his calls promptly. The woman was finally admitted after a long wait.
Manisha's father, Balasaheb Mandalik, recounted that his daughter had tried to signal the dumper to stop while crossing the road, but the vehicle did not slow down, resulting in the tragic accident.
It was revealed that the dumper was overloaded, which likely contributed to the driver's inability to stop in time. Overloaded dumpers are a common issue, and drivers are often incentivized to make extra trips, leading them to drive recklessly and causing frequent accidents.