Mumbai accident: What BEST bus driver Sanjay More told police about Kurla crash
BEST bus driver Sanjay More disclosed that he was uncomfortable with the automatic transmission of the electric bus, which he had been assigned on December 1.
Bus accident in Mumbai's Kurla: The Mumbai Police has arrested Sanjay More (50), the driver of the BEST bus, which rammed into pedestrians and multiple vehicles in Kurla West on Monday evening, killing seven people and leaving 42 others injured. Sanjay More has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder as investigations continue into the cause of the Mumbai accident.
The Kurla crash occurred around 9:30pm on SG Barve Marg when the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus, an electric AC vehicle, veered out of control, crashing into multiple vehicles and pedestrians over a 100-metre stretch.
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During questioning, Sanjay More disclosed that he was uncomfortable with the automatic transmission of the electric bus, which he had been assigned on December 1, The Times of India reported. Previously, Sanjay More had driven manual transmission buses for a private contractor. He admitted that the absence of a clutch in the automatic vehicle left him confused while driving, ToI reported.
Also Read | Mumbai accident: Death toll rises to seven, 42 injured in Kurla BEST bus crash
Following the accident, police escorted Sanjay More to JJ Hospital for a medical examination. As part of the ongoing investigation, authorities are examining various factors, including potential mechanical failure and driver error.
However, eyewitnesses alleged that the bus driver was inebriated and could not control the heavy vehicle.
After travelling a distance of just around 100 metres, the bus started hitting vehicles, including two-wheelers riding on the wrong side of the road and two autorickshaws, crushing one of them completely, according to the police.
Despite hitting so many vehicles, the driver failed to control the bus and rammed into several other pedestrians and vehicles.
The bus eventually came to a halt at the gate of Dr Ambedkar Nagar housing complex near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s L-ward office, the police added.
An official on Tuesday told news agency PTI that the driver has been placed under arrest and will be produced in a court. The injured persons were undergoing treatment in various medical facilities, including Bhabha Hospital, Sion Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital, the official said, adding the condition of some of them was critical.
The injured included four police personnel, who were on bandobast duty at the time of the incident. Their condition was stable, he said.
BEST driver arrested, booked for culpable homicide
The police have registered a case against the bus driver under sections 105 (punishment for culpable homicide that does not amount to murder) and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Police suspect the driver lost control over the wheels as the bus brakes failed, but it will be ascertained by experts, an unnamed official told PTI.
In details shared with the media, BEST said "as per the initial information, the driver lost control of the bus". The bus, after ploughing through pedestrians and vehicles in Kurla (West), entered into a residential society, Buddha Colony, and came to a halt, officials said on Monday.
The bus was a 12-metre-long electric vehicle manufactured by Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech and it had been taken by BEST on wet lease, an official earlier said.
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