Mon Nov 25 20:20:41 UTC 2024: ## Two Teenagers Killed in High-Speed Crash on Mumbai’s Western Express Highway
**Mumbai, India –** A late-night joyride ended in tragedy on Mumbai’s Western Express Highway early Sunday morning, leaving two 18-year-old teenagers dead. The accident occurred when the car, carrying four first-year Bachelor of Business Administration students, collided with a divider in Vile Parle.
According to Vile Parle police, the group had gone out for dinner in Bandra and were returning to Goregaon around 4:30 am when the driver, Sahil Mendha, lost control. Confusing a service road with the flyover, he attempted a sharp turn at a high speed (estimated at 120-150 km/h), resulting in the fatal crash. Jalaj Dhir and Sarthak Kaushik, who were seated in the back, died at the scene.
A surviving passenger and eyewitness, Jedan Jimmy, also 18, stated that the group had spent the evening playing video games and socializing before deciding to go out late at night. Mendha, arrested on Sunday, claimed he had not consumed alcohol, though blood tests are pending to confirm this. Police stated that while Mendha possesses a valid driver’s license, excessive speed and poor judgment led to the loss of control.
Mendha has been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for causing death by negligence, reckless driving, and endangering personal safety, as well as under the Motor Vehicles Act.
**Separate Accident Claims Another Life**
In a separate incident near Powai Lake on Friday night, a 24-year-old man died while rushing to see his ailing mother at Rajawadi Hospital. Krishna Nagraj Patil, riding his motorcycle with two friends, lost control at a high speed (approximately 120 km/h) on the Jogeshwari-Vikroli Link Road. Powai police report that the three had been drinking near Powai Lake when Patil received news of his mother’s sudden illness. Despite his friends urging him to take an auto-rickshaw, Patil insisted on driving his bike. The crash resulted in serious injuries to all three; Patil was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. His friends remain hospitalized.
Both accidents are under investigation, and police await medical reports to determine the extent to which alcohol was a contributing factor in both cases.
First Piper 