Brake Failure Triggers 25-Vehicle Pile-Up on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, One Dead, 18 Injured

A container trailer’s brake failure caused a 25-vehicle pile-up on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, killing one woman and injuring 18 others. The trailer dragged vehicles for 3.5 km before stopping. Most victims were in a 17-seater van. The driver was arrested, and police are probing the mechanical failure.

A horrific accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday afternoon resulted in a 25-vehicle pile-up, leaving one woman dead and 18 others injured. The crash occurred near the Adoshi tunnel under the Khopoli police station limits when a container trailer lost control due to brake failure on a steep downhill stretch.

The deceased, identified as 58-year-old Anita Sahadev Ekhande from Padoli village in Dharashiv district, was travelling with her family in an SUV when the trailer slammed into multiple vehicles. The impact dragged several vehicles for nearly 3.5 km, causing extensive damage and chaos on the expressway.

Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal confirmed that the trailer driver, 29-year-old Rajeshkumar Ramsumer Patel, was not under the influence of alcohol. Preliminary findings point to a mechanical failure in the braking system as the main cause of the accident.

Among the 25 vehicles involved, at least seven suffered severe damage, including a 17-seater Traveller that bore the brunt of the impact. Most of the injured were passengers in this vehicle. Volunteers from the HELP Foundation and police teams conducted immediate rescue operations at the site.

Seventeen of the injured were transported to MGM Hospital in Kamothe, and one critically injured patient was admitted to a private hospital. According to hospital authorities, one individual is on ventilator support with head trauma, while another has a cervical spine fracture. Additional injuries include pelvic fractures, broken collar bones, and other trauma.

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The injured victims include 15 women, two men, and a 9-year-old child. Police have registered a case and are investigating the mechanical failure that led to the accident. The incident has raised renewed concerns about the safety of heavy vehicles on steep expressway slopes.