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Journalism of Courage
A report by the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has found that the preliminary cause of the Navale Bridge accident was due to the driver losing control over the vehicle. The accident on November 13 led to the death of 8 including five in a car and the driver and cleaner of the bus.
“In our analysis of the Navale bridge accident we have found that there was no mechanical fault. The driver just could not control the vehicle. The vehicle was definitely at a speed above the speed limit and it dashed into the cars in front of it,” said a senior official who did not want to be named as he said the report had not yet been submitted on the online dashboard.
The analysis was based on CCTV footage. “We gathered CCTV footage from two locations. One was from the toll plaza where the vehicle was in control. It went in its own lane. The other CCTV footage is from after the dash when the vehicles are burning. Many have already seen that footage. It was observed that the speed of the vehicle even after the crash was more than the limit of 60 kmph. So before the crash it must have definitely been above 60.”
“For things like brake failures, the condition of the crashed vehicle is such that nothing can be said with evidence,” the official added. The front of the truck and the car were completely crushed and charred in the accident.
Deputy Regional Transport Officer Swapnil Bhosale says that after the accident, the office has constituted safety measures like checking of documents at the Khed Shivapur Toll Plaza, eye checks for drivers to ensure proper vision during day and night. The Pune Traffic Police has announced the reduction of speed limit at the accident spot from 60kmph to 30 kmph.
