Man helping weeping woman on Kolhapur-Ratnagiri highway killed by speeding tempo near Kotoli Phata

A man who stopped to help a woman crying by the roadside was killed when a speeding tempo hit him near Kotoli Phata on the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri highway on Saturday morning. The deceased is Ramesh Bhimrao Thorat, 41, a resident of Asurle in Panhala taluka.

The incident began with a family from Nerli-Tamgaon travelling to Ganpatipule by car at around 5.30 am on Saturday. Near Kotoli Phata, a child in the car suddenly fell ill. The family stopped the vehicle by the roadside and took the child to a clinic in Karle for treatment.

At that time Thorat, who was out on his regular morning walk, reached the spot. He saw a woman crying in the car and immediately asked her what had happened. He also helped get the car parked at the side of the road to avoid an accident.

However, as Thorat was getting down from the car, a tempo travelling at high speed from Kolhapur towards Panhala hit him hard. The impact was so severe that Thorat was thrown about 50 feet and fell on the road. He died on the spot.

Thorat is survived by his wife, mother, sister and three children. He was the sole earning male member of the family, and the family has been plunged into grief.

After the collision, the tempo driver, Nikhil Bandu Taral, a resident of Wadgaon village, fled the spot. However, his tempo went out of control and overturned near the Nalwade bungalow in Waghbil Ghat. On receiving information, highway police reached the spot at once and detained the fleeing driver.

A case has been registered at Karveer police station. There is deep mourning in the Asurle area over the death of an innocent man who came forward to help others.