50-year-old killed, 15 others injured in tractor-truck collision in Jalgaon

Nashik: A 50-year-old man was killed, and 15 others were injured after a truck loaded with gas cylinders rammed a stationary tractor trolley carrying devotees in Bhadgaon taluka of Jalgaon on Monday night.

The police have detained the truck driver and are in the process of registering a case.The deceased has been identified as Dinkar Patil, a resident of Mahindale village in Bhadgaon. The accident occurred around 11.30pm near Kajgaon, on the Chalisgaon-Bhadgaon road.The police said some 25 devotees from Mahindale were returning home from an ashram in Beldarwadi, about 50km away in Chalisgaon, when the accident occurred. Initial reports had suggested that the victims were travelling to Pandharpur as part of a dindi procession. However, the Bhadgaon police later clarified that the devotees were returning from an ashram visit.Head constable Kishor Sonawane, of the Bhadgaon police station, said, “The tractor apparently ran out of fuel and came to a halt on the roadside. Around the same time, a truck carrying gas cylinders struck the trolley from behind.”The police suspect the truck driver failed to notice the stationary vehicle as the trolley allegedly lacked reflector tapes and functioning tail lamps. “The impact was so severe that the trolley detached from the tractor and was flung off the road, throwing devotees in different directions,” Sonawane added.

On receiving information, police personnel visited the spot, arranged for ambulances and shifted the injured people to nearby hospitals. Patil succumbed to his injuries during treatment.Following the crash, the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled. However, the police traced the truck owner through the vehicle registration number. After being contacted by the police, the owner facilitated the driver’s surrender at the Bhadgaon police station, where he was detained for questioning.