A car ferrying Marathi film actress Urmila Kanetkar hit two pipe layers at work on Western Express Highway at Kandivli in Bombay a little after midnight on December 27, resulting in the death of one and injury to the other. The police said, Kanetkar, who was asleep in the back seat, sustained injuries as did the driver.
An FIR was filed against the driver for negligence and rash driving. He was detained. Barricades had been placed around the site and the car rammed into them. Prime facie, the car driver did not appear to be intoxicated.
One of the labourers, Samratdas Jitendradas, was rushed to Cooper Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The other, Sujan Ravidas, was admitted to Mauli Hospital at Malad East. Both the workers lived at Goregaon in Bombay and were natives of West Bengal. Urmila and the driver were rushed to a private hospital at Kandivli for treatment. She got flung inside the vehicle and suffered injuries. The driver’s life was saved due to the air bag. The actress was returning home in Thane when the accident took place.
According to the police, the car was in the right lane of the highway. An excavator truck appeared in the middle of the road. Another vehicle deflected the car and caused it to hit the excavator on which the labourers were working. The car was badly damaged.