Journalism of Courage
Premium
This is an archive article published on January 12, 2009
A safe rider: After mishap,family regrets allowing youngster to ride 2-wheeler
Twenty-four-year-old Dutta Daate always considered himself a safe rider. He often told his parents that he rides a two-wheeler cautiously and never indulges in overspeeding.
Written by MANOJ MORE
Pune | January 12, 2009 12:46 AM IST
3 min read
3 min read
Twenty-four-year-old Dutta Daate always considered himself a safe rider. He often told his parents that he rides a two-wheeler cautiously and never indulges in overspeeding. Despite taking all “precuations,” the youngster is struggling to keep left leg on the ground. The reason: a diesel tanker brushed aside his motorcycle near Wadgaon on the old Pune-Mumbai highway last month,landing him in the hospital with a major leg injury.
Daate was injured and so was the pillion rider,Shivaji Kadam. Both of them suffered injuries on the thighs and had to be operated upon. While the Daate family spent around Rs 70,000 on the surgery,the Kadam family spend nearly Rs 85,000. Dutta’s father is a porter who these days finds it difficult to get work. The youngster himself earns Rs 4000 salary per month. The family stays in a chawl in Kasarwadi. Dutta,who uses crutches to walk,says it will take another six months for him walk properly. “That’s what the doctor has told me. I want to get on my toes as early as possible so that I am able to support my family,” he says.
Dutta’s mother says normally the family does not allow the youngster to use a motorcycle. “That was the only day when he used the vehicle for a long distance travel and met with the tragedy,” she says.
The accident occured a little ahead of the Wadgaon police chowky around 1.30 pm. “We were heading towards Kamshet when a diesel tanker which was in full speed brushed us aside. Our speed was just over 40 kmph. We landed in a ditch along the road and were flung away for a distance. The tanker sped away after the mishap and there is no clue of the vehicle as yet,” recalls Dutta.
The youth underwent an operation at a Bhosari hospital. A steel rod was fitted in his left thigh and now he has to take help of crutches to move around. “We had to borrow money for my son’s operation from friends and relatives,” the mother says. The family laments that instead of going by the two-wheeler,they should have sent him by bus. “It would have been better if he had gone by a bus,we wouldn’t have faced this nightmare,” she says. Dutta says he had been riding a two-wheeler for a quite a few years now and had never met with a mishap because he rides cautious ly.
According to police,224 citizens have been killed in 211 accident thats occured in 2008. Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil points out that overspeeding,rash,negligent and drunken driving are the causes behind the increasing two-wheeler mishaps.
Advertisement
Top Stories
Live Blog
Loading Taboola...
Advertisement