NAGPUR: In a freak incident, tyres of around 40 vehicles sprang punctures, leaving at least 150 commuters stranded for hours on Samruddhi Expressway in Washim district on Sunday night.
All these vehicles had passed over the broken door of a trailer lying on the road. No injuries were reported, but the incident raised safety concerns on the expressway.
Confirming the incident, Washim SP Anuj Tare told TOI: “A trailer was passing on the expressway when its back door got dislodged and fell on the road.After this, many vehicles passed over the heavy door, and their tyres were punctured. Our teams responded and removed the door using a crane,” Tare said.
The average speed of cars on Samruddhi is between 80-100kmph. What if the trailer’s dislodged door, instead of falling on the road, had rammed a vehicle, it could have resulted in a major pileup and injured many, said travellers.
Even in the normal course, it is a challenge to control a car at high speed if it suffers a tyre burst. People were stranded for hours without food or mechanics on the expressway.
Sources termed the dislodging of the trailer’s back door a freak incident, but underscored the need for a thorough check of vehicles before being allowed on the expressway.
A video of several vehicles queued up on the expressway has gone viral on social media. In the video, a passing vehicle captured footage of cars lined up on the side of the expressway.
In a statement, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which built the expressway, mentioned that the incident was caused by the heavy door of a trailer lying on the expressway’s ‘100 km lane’.
“QRV, HSP, and MSF teams soon reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. The door was removed using a crane, and stranded passengers were also provided water. The women and children were shifted to safety. A mechanic was summoned from Malegaon to repair the vehicles. No injuries were reported in the incident, and the trailer has been handed over to the police,” MSRDC said.
