Pune: In a tragic incident, a 32-year-old woman lost her life after a speeding dumper struck the two-wheeler she was riding with her husband. The accident took place on the Pune-Nagar Highway near Chitale Sweet Home around 9:45 AM on Sunday (October 6).
The woman, identified as Sirichandana Vishwanath Hewattam, a resident of Nyati Elan, was killed instantly after falling under the rear wheels of the dumper. Her husband, Vishwanath, sustained injuries in the collision but survived.
The couple had been returning home after playing badminton with friends on BAIF Road. They had stopped for breakfast shortly before the accident occurred. As they resumed their journey, their two-wheeler was hit by a dumper speeding along the highway despite heavy vehicle restrictions between 7 AM to 11 AM.
Sirichandana’s untimely death marks the second fatality in 12 days involving dumpers on the Pune-Nagar Highway. Previously, Chaitanya Shinde, a young man, lost his life after being hit by a dumper near Reliance.
The impact of the accident brought traffic to a halt on the highway, as shocked onlookers gathered around. Vishwanath, the woman’s husband, was left speechless from the trauma, while their friends were also in shock.
Police arrived after half an hour and transported the body to Sassoon Hospital for further procedures. Witnesses reported that the dumper driver fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle and leaving Sirichandana to die.
Under the jurisdiction of the Lonikand Traffic Division, heavy vehicles are banned on the Pune-Nagar Highway from 7 AM to 11 AM and 5 PM to 9 PM. However, dumper traffic continued illegally on Sunday morning, leading to this fatal accident.
Just three days earlier, traffic officials reinforced the restriction on heavy vehicles, but the dumper involved in Sunday’s accident was found to be violating these rules.
The incident has sparked outrage among locals, with Shivpratishthan’s Kalpesh Jachak demanding that a case be filed against the dumper owner for allowing the vehicle to operate during restricted hours.
