Boy riding sans helmet crashes into cab, dies

A 16-year-old boy driving a bike illegally and without wearing a helmet was killed due to internal head injuries after his two-wheeler hit a stationary taxi on a bridge in Jogeshwari (east) Saturday afternoon. On-duty police inspector Vijay Panchal confirmed that an ISI helmet could have definitely saved the minor’s life. The 74-year-old taxi driver has been arrested for negligence causing death.

The incident occurred around 12.10 pm on the new Jogeshwari east-west bridge. The minor, Tauhid Shaikh, was a resident of Makrandpada in Jogeshwari, where he lived with his parents, two brothers and a sister. His father is a driver. Shaikh was in FYJC.

A relative of Shaikh’s friend had brought the Bajaj Pulsar 220 F bike to the area. Shaikh requested his friend for a small joy ride and soon rode away without the owner’s knowledge. The key had been left in the keyhole.

Shaikh was speeding on the bridge unknown to the fact that Abdul Gaffar Abdul Karim Shaikh had parked his taxi on the bridge and left the scene. Shaikh did not anticipate this and took a sudden turn and on seeing the taxi ended up grazing it. Shaikh then lost control over the wheels and his head banged against the railing of the bridge. The bike had only a small scratch.

“He suffered multiple fractures in his head. A helmet could have definitely saved him,” said Mr Palande. Abdul claimed that his taxi had stopped moving due to a mechanical failure and hence he had gone searching for a mechanic.

“The RTO will see if there is any kind of mechanical issue with it. Abdul should have kept a person some metres ahead of the taxi to alert motorists or could have stayed there and phoned someone else for help,” said Mr

Palande. Abdul’s son said he had advised his father to stop working due to his old age. He was let off on bail as it is a bailable offence.