Truck Crushes Biker Jagruti Hogale to Death After She Hits Pothole

The 36-year-old biker fell to her death under a truck when she swerved to avoid hitting a pothole.

Jagruti Viraj Hogale. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Jagruti Viraj Hogale)

A 36-year-old biker fell to death under a truck when she swerved to avoid hitting a pothole on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Jawhar, near Mumbai and was crushed by a passing truck.

Bandra-resident Jagruti Hogale, a member of the all-women 'Bikerni' motorcycle club, was on a trip with two other bikers to Jawhar in Palghar district on Monday when the incident occurred, a police official said. ‘Bikerni’ has found a mention in the Limca Book of Records for an all-woman motorcycle expedition it undertook from Delhi to Ladakh in 2013.

The advertising professional tried to overtake a truck on the Jawhar-Dahanu road around 9 am, but her bike landed in a pothole, throwing her off, when she came under the wheels of a truck.

Hogale was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead before admission, Kasa police station's Assistant Police Inspector Jaiprakash Guthe said.

Also Read: This Mumbai Monsoons, Brace for More Potholes & Garbage Spills

Remembering the Bikerni

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Jagruti Viraj Hogale)Jagruti Viraj Hogale.

The biker had earlier driven up to Khardung La in Ladakh, one of the highest motorable roads in the world, the police official said. Anita Verma, Hogale’s friend, who also wanted to ride to Ladakh recalled that Hogale’s last words to her were, “You are going to make it this year.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Mayuree Hajarnis said Hogale’s bike ‘Hirkani’ was like a member of the family.

Mayuri told The Indian Express:

She had done up her bike beautifully. She made a special seat for her son Archit to sit behind her. Hirkani was a major part of her life.

Urvashi Patole, the founder of Bikerni, in a short statement mourned the loss of Jagruti who was an inspiration to many. The Indian Express quoted Urvashi as saying:

The Bikerni deeply regrets this accident and expresses its condolences to the family of Jagruti Hogale. We have lost a gem and one of the best women riders in India for whom safe riding was always the priority. May her soul rests in peace.

Several Biker groups on Facebook wrote messages of condolences for Jagruti.

Also Read: Filling Potholes, Changing Tyres: The Good Cops of Karnataka

An accidental death report has been registered and the truck driver has been arrested.

He has been booked under the IPC Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), which carries a punishment of up to two years in jail, and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), which provides for up to 6 months in prison, Guthe said.

This is the fourth death this year caused by vehicles skidding on potholes on the Jawhar-Dahanu road, police said.

On 4 July this year, an 18-year-old boy was killed when he lost control over his motorcycle while trying to avoid a pothole at Bhiwandi Naka in the neighbouring Thane district. He fell from the vehicle and later died of head injuries.

Earlier, a 21-year-old man was killed when his two-wheeler landed in a pothole near the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai in September last year.

Popular radio jockey Malishka Mendonsa recently incurred the wrath of the Shiv Sena which controls Mumbai's civic body for a satirical song on pothole-ridden Mumbai roads during the monsoon.

(With inputs from PTI)

(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at [e-mail] or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)