SUV’s sudden reverse on middle of Ravet bridge kills 10-year-old girl

Pune: A family of three, a couple and their 10-year-old daughter, was on returning home in Badlapur on a scooter when an SUV took a reverse and hit their two-wheeler and killed the girl on Bopdev Maharaj bridge in Ravet on the Pune-Mumbai highway.

The parents of the girl suffered severe head injuries. The accident occurred on May 19 when the family was returning to their home after visiting the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati temple in Pune.

The uncle of the deceased lodged a complaint with the Ravet police on Saturday. The police have registered a case of death by negligence against a 45-year-old SUV driver from Washi in Raigad district.

The police identified the girl as Swara Jaywant Gawade of Badlapur. Her father, Jaywant Gawade, suffered critical head injuries, while her mother, Jayashri, suffered head injuries and a fracture to her left leg.

Police sub-inspector Ravindra Sonawane of the Ravet police said Jaywant Gawade works for a private company in Thane district. “On May 19, Gawade visited Pune on his scooter with his wife and daughter to offer prayers at the Dagdusheth temple. They were returning home when the accident took place,” Sonawane said.

Sonawane said around 4.45pm on May 19, the SUV driver was heading towards the expressway. After driving about 100 metres on the bridge at Ravet, he thought he needed to take the service road to reach the expressway instead of the flyover.

“He did not know that he could connect the expressway from the bridge. The driver stopped at the bridge and suddenly started reversing when the Gawade family was climbing the bridge. Gawade might not have seen the reversing vehicle due to intense sun rays,” Sonawane said.

Sonawane said all three fell off the scooter after the SUV hit it. Swara was sitting in front of her father on the scooter. She suffered severe chest and head injuries. “The three were taken to a hospital, where the girl was declared dead by doctors,” Sonawane said.