Taxi hits four, crashes into wall, driver dies on spot

The police said the deceased, Rajapati Roge, had filled up fuel in his vehicle at a petrol pump and driven out to find passengers when, minutes later, the accident  took place.  (Representational Image)

A 57-year-old taxi driver died as his car hit four pedestrians on a footpath and crashed into a wall in Mahim on Wednesday evening. Police are trying to verify if the driver suffered a heart attack before the car spun out
of control.  The incident took place at 6.30 pm outside Paradise Cinema in Mahim. The police said the deceased, Rajapati Roge, had filled up fuel in his vehicle at a petrol pump and driven out to find passengers when,
minutes later, the accident  took place.

“The taxi climbed onto the footpath, hit pedestrians on it and crashed into a wall,” said Milind Idekar, the Senior Inspector, Mahim police station.  He added that of the four people injured, one was rushed to Bhabha Hospital with a fractured leg. “The other three injured pedestrians were taken to Hinduja Hospital. Two have been discharged while one person is being treated for minor injuries,” Idekar said.

The police are trying to ascertain whether the accident occurred after Roge suffered a heart attack while driving. “We are investigating whether a heart attack caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle or if he died in the crash after losing control,” said Idekar.