PUNE: Helmet saved the life of a couple riding on a motorcycle after a car hit their vehicle from the rear.Reshma Kulkarni (31) and her husband Shailesh Kulkarni (36), currently residing in Dhayari, fell on the right side of the road and came under a truck hurtling down from the rear side. The truck driver applied brakes after the legs of Reshma, riding pillion on the bike, came under the heavy vehicle’s rear wheels on the night of March 11 near Mammadevi Chowk in Camp, on Indira Gandhi Road.Reshma suffered serious injuries on her legs and is recuperating in a private hospital. The bike rider, Shailesh, received injuries on his right leg and suffered internal injuries on his back. The Kulkarnis did not suffer any injuries on their heads as they were wearing helmets.Shailesh said, “Our heads banged against the road, but we did not suffer serious injuries because we were wearing helmets. Passers-by stopped an ambulance and I rushed Reshma to a private hospital in Wanowrie.”He said, “The accident occurred in a fraction of seconds. I did not realize what had happened. We would have died had we not worn the headgear. I want two-wheeler riders to compulsorily wear helmet instead of opposing it for their own safety.”Shailesh registered an FIR against the car driver after an inordinate delay with the Wanowrie police on Sunday. He attributed the delay in lodging the complaint to the disturbed state of his mind because of the critical condition of his wife.Shailesh is a technical lead in a private firm at Magarpatta in Hadapsar . His wife, Reshma, is a technical lead manager with another private firm in the same area. They have their roots in Kolhapur Shailesh told TOI, “We were on our way home from Magarpatta. I was riding the bike and stopped the twowheeler at a traffic signal at Mammadevi Chowk. I started moving ahead slowly because of traffic congestion after the signal turned green. I stopped a little ahead of a petrol pump for two minutes when a speeding car hit my bike from the rear.”He said, “I lost control over the bike and fell on the road under the truck as the vehicles stranded on the right side had started moving. Reshma’s legs came under the rear wheels of the truck. We and passers-by raised an alarm. The truck driver fortunately applied brakes and took a reverse turn,” he said, adding that the car driver had tried to flee but police stopped him.Reshma’s left leg was severely damaged and blood was oozing out. “She underwent a surgery and a rod has been installed from her ankle to the knee to support the bone. Her right leg was also injured, and a plastic surgery was performed. She has been advised to take bed rest for seven months,” he said.An official of the Wanowrie police said, “We have seized the car and booked the driver under bailable sections of rash driving and causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others among other charges of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act. The driver would be summoned, and a notice would be served on him to cooperate in the investigation.”Last month, helmet saved the life of a motorcyclist who was hit by a car on the wrong side of the Airport Road.The 22-year-old motorcyclist, Sawant Shirhari Zore, fell on the other side of the road and his head banged against the road. However, he did not suffer any grievous head injury as he was wearing a headgear. His leg was fractured in the accident.

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.