Malad West Car Crash Kills Woman; 65-Year-Old Driver Gets Bail

A 65-year-old driver was granted bail by a court on Monday after his car rammed a motorcycle and three autorickshaws at a traffic signal in Malad West on Sunday night, killing a 35-year-old former lawyer and injuring several others.

The deceased, identified as Priyanka Satra, was riding pillion with her husband, Mayank, when the collision occurred. Mayank, who sustained injuries in the accident, was brought home in a wheelchair on Monday to see his wife one last time before her funeral.

The accused, Krishna Chamankar, was driving an MG Windsor and was produced before a court on Monday following his arrest. The court remanded him to judicial custody, after which he was granted bail.

According to police sources, investigators scanned CCTV footage from the area to establish the sequence of events. The footage reportedly showed Mayank and Priyanka waiting at a traffic signal, with Chamankar's car positioned directly behind their motorcycle.

Police said Chamankar mistakenly engaged the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. A police officer stated that Chamankar assumed his automatic car was in neutral gear. When he noticed the vehicle rolling forward, he intended to press the brake forcefully but accidentally pressed the accelerator, propelling the vehicle into the motorcycle and three nearby autorickshaws.

The impact resulted in injuries to Mayank, the autorickshaw drivers, and their passengers. Police noted that Chamankar did not step out of his vehicle immediately following the collision, remaining inside until passers-by assembled at the scene and forced him out.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Chamankar was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, though official results from his blood sample report are still awaited. Police stated that they are continuing to examine CCTV recordings and gather corroborating evidence as part of the probe.