Mumbai: After covering more than 1,000 kilometres on a road trip to Goa and back without incident, the Pal family had almost completed their journey on Monday night. Their destination, their home in Chembur, was barely 15 minutes away when disaster struck at Bhakti Park junction in Wadala. A Chalo bus allegedly rammed into vehicles waiting at a traffic signal behind a BEST bus, triggering a chain-reaction collision that left seven people injured and several vehicles mangled.Among the worst-hit was the car carrying 28-year-old corporate professional Madhu Pal and her elderly parents. Although they are stable and have shifted from Sion Hospital to a private facility, for another victim, the battle is far from over. Tempo driver Hasrat Ali Shaikh (28) remains in the intensive care unit with severe head injuries and is reportedly drifting in and out of consciousness. Investigators believe he swerved sharply in an attempt to avoid the collision before crashing into a road divider. He continues to be on ventilator support at Sion Hospital.For the Pals, the impact crushed their vehicle between two buses, turning the final moments of their journey into a fight for survival. “We were just returning home from a vacation,” said Madhu, who moved to Mumbai from Kolkata with her family barely seven months ago. Her father, Pranesh Pal (76), a heart patient with multiple medical conditions, and her mother, Shivani Pal (65), were travelling with her when the crash occurred. The family remembers little after the collision. “The last thing we remember is being trapped inside the car and then waking up in the hospital,” Madhu recalled.The fifth victim, Balaji Jadhav (37), suffered a blunt force injury to his left hand and was discharged on Wednesday.Police have registered an FIR against the Chalo bus driver Dnyaneshwar Laxman Chavan, a Vashi resident, for rash driving and endangering life or personal safety. The police issued a notice to the accused driver and asked him to join the investigation whenever required. His blood samples were collected and they will be sent for medical examination at the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory. A police source said that the bus driver told them that he could not understand what had happened.Police constable Macchindar Palve (40), who lodged the FIR, said CCTV footage showed the bus approaching Lodha Junction on Sewree Chembur Road at a high speed around 8.59 pm on Nov 9, resulting in the crash involving a tempo, a Maruti Ertiga and a Hyundai Tucson. Police said the Ertiga was completely damaged, while the other vehicles suffered damage to their front, rear or sides.A BEST source said preliminary indications point towards human error.A Chalo official said on Wednesday that the vehicle was still being examined for any faults. “The probe is on and the bus is being inspected,” the official said. He added that although the bus was operated under a contract with BEST and carried the undertaking’s branding, it was privately owned by Chalo and driven by a driver hired by the company.Madhu Pal suffered head and leg injuries and required stitches, while her mother sustained a fractured arm and head injuries. Her father suffered injuries to his head and chest. Remarkably, the family dog that was travelling with them survived the crash.
