A 22-year-old woman died and her fellow passenger was seriously injured after their motorcycle collided with a stationary 18-wheeler container near the New Katraj Tunnel on Pune’s Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway on Sunday afternoon, police said.
The deceased rider was identified as Sakshi Amol Sawant, 22. Her passenger, Renuka Balbhim Kamble, also 22, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, according to the police account reported by Lokmat.
The crash occurred at about 2.45 pm near the New Katraj Tunnel. Police said Sawant and Kamble were travelling along the highway when the motorcycle struck the container, which was parked near the tunnel. Both women suffered serious injuries in the collision.
After receiving information about the crash, senior police inspector Sharad Zine visited the scene. The injured women were taken to a private hospital for treatment, but doctors declared Sawant dead before treatment could begin. Kamble remains under medical care, the report said.
A case has been registered against container driver Yogesh Nagnath Satpute, 35, a resident of Kauthali in Solapur district. The complaint was filed at Ambegaon police station by police constable Nagesh Koli. Police said the inquiry indicated that the accident occurred because of the container driver’s mistake.
The incident places attention on the safety risks created when heavy vehicles stop on or near a high-speed highway corridor. The supplied police account does not specify the container’s exact position, whether warning signs or hazard lights were present, or the road and visibility conditions at the time of the crash. Those details may form part of the continuing investigation.
The New Katraj Tunnel is part of a busy highway approach serving Pune and connecting traffic towards Bengaluru. Motorcycles share the corridor with large commercial vehicles, making the visibility of stationary vehicles and the management of roadside stopping especially important for road users. The available report, however, does not provide data on previous crashes at this location or identify any immediate traffic-management measures after the incident.
Assistant police inspector Firoz Mulani is conducting the further investigation. The registered case and the police inquiry will determine the circumstances surrounding the container’s stoppage and the collision.
