In a span of a few hours, Goa’s golden image has been smashed and covered with the blood of accident victims. It feels like a curse has descended upon the State, as since Sunday, April 16, 12 people’s lives have been snuffed out due to rash and negligent driving in Goa.
Deadly days and deaths in Goa
April 16 – Accident at Neura
It all started with the death of two youth from Neura. The incident took place late on Sunday night. According to a local eyewitness, two boys were speeding without wearing helmets. One of them flew off his bike after hitting a speed breaker while racing with another boy who fled the scene after the accident. The out-of-control bike and rider Gaurish dashed into oncoming Banesh Sawant aka Bala, killing both riders (read more).
April 17 – Accidents at Khandepar & Corlim
The very next day on April 17, a head-on collision between two scooters at Khandepar, Ponda, resulted in the death of 34-year-old scooter rider – Yogesh Keshav Sathakalkar from Vatem, Sattari. The other scooterist escaped unhurt.
A few hours later, five people were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and car at Corlim…
A speeding Maruti Sx4 car driven by Shanal Pereira careened off the median and rammed into two pedestrians before colliding with a truck. Five people were killed in the accident include the two pedestrians and three passengers of the ill-fated car.
The other five occupants of the car including Pereira are currently battling for life at the Goa Medical College, Bambolim.
It is said that Pereira was travelling to his recently purchased bungalow on Kadamba Plateau with family and friends.
April 18 – Accident at Ucassaim
On April 18, evening, while being shifted from Asilo in Mapusa to GMC, Bambolim, a patient and his wife were killed in an accident at Ucassaim, between a Maruti Omni van and the 108 Emergency Ambulance they were travelling in. They succumbed to their injuries at the GMC. The drivers of both vehicles and the nurse of the ambulance survived but were seriously injured.
April 19 – Accidents at Verna
On April 19 at around 7.20 am at Morod junction, Verna, an interstate passenger bus hit a Hero Pleasure scooter and dragged the 34-year-old rider for 30 meters killing him on the spot.
On the same route, a few hours later, a speeding gas cylinder-loaded truck dashed into a Bajaj Pulsar killing the pillion, a 17-year-old girl on the spot, and serious injuring her father.
April 20
Following the two separate accidents at Morod junction, Verna villagers held a protest at the accident prone Morad junction on Thursday (April 20) morning, demanding re-erection of speed breakers there.
According to aggrieved villagers, the Morod junction on Verna bypass on NH-17 has literally become a death trap with accidents taking place at regular intervals. They said that, during 2016 BRICS summit held in Goa, the State government had removed speed breakers (on both sides) at Morod junction, but despite repeated requests to reinstall the speed breakers, authorities have been turning a nelson’s eye to their pleas.
Over the last couple of days including today, several other accidents have taken place, however, they have gone un-reported as luckily, there were no fatalities.
