Mumbai-Pune Expressway Crash: Motor Accident Tribunal Awards ₹1.80 Crore to Victims' Families

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has awarded a combined compensation of approximately ₹1.81 crore to the heirs of a couple who died in a collision on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in 2018, holding both the car and truck drivers responsible for the accident. The October 29 order has brought renewed attention to highway safety, particularly the risks associated with sudden braking, inadequate following distances and heavy-vehicle movement along accident-prone stretches.

The accident occurred on December 23, 2018, when a Wagon R driven by Ankit Bhupindersingh Chugh rammed into a truck after the heavy vehicle applied its brakes. The car, carrying Ankit, his wife Sanjana and their two minor children, was dragged for more than a kilometre. Both Ankit and Sanjana subsequently died at a rural hospital in Panvel.

MACT Member Gauri Kawdikar attributed 70 per cent contributory negligence to Ankit and the remaining 30 per cent liability to the truck driver for rash and negligent driving. The tribunal observed that maintaining a safe distance and controlling speed could have helped prevent the collision. The compensation comprised ₹92.53 lakh for Sanjana and ₹88.45 lakh for Ankit, totalling ₹1,80,99,232. The truck's insurer, which argued that its permit covered only Rajasthan and Gujarat, was directed to pay the claimants first, retaining the right to recover the amount from the vehicle owner.

The ruling comes amid continuing safety concerns on the 94-km Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway, which opened in 2002 as India's first six-lane access-controlled concrete expressway. Official figures presented in the Rajya Sabha showed 154 accidents and 65 deaths in 2023, rising to 191 accidents and 90 fatalities in 2024. Provisional 2025 figures recorded 187 accidents and 68 deaths.

The Borghat stretch between Amrutanjan Point and Khalapur remains a major accident hotspot, accounting for more than half of reported crashes over three years. To address the problem, Maharashtra opened the ₹6,695-crore Missing Link in May 2026. The 13.3-km project includes two tunnels spanning 10.55 km and a 650-metre cable-stayed bridge rising 184 metres above Tiger Valley.

Authorities have also installed 40 monitoring gantries capable of detecting 17 traffic violations, alongside more than 300 km of crash barriers, rumble strips and tactile edge lines. Despite these interventions, the accident record underscores the need for stricter enforcement, safe driving distances, speed control and improved emergency response.