Speeding Jet Airways staffer, 22, dies in car crash

A twenty-two-year-old Jet Airways crew was killed and her three friends seriously injured in a major car crash in the wee hours of Friday.

Bhagwati Chhetri was allegedly speeding in her friend’s Honda Accord when she lost control and the car turned turtle after hitting a Tata Indica near Hyper City mall in Malad (West).  

The incident took place while Chhetri and her friends —Yatish Shetty, 26; Varun Shetty, 25; and Jyoti Chand, 24 — were on their way back home from a party at Lokhandwala in Andheri (West).

While the three friends, who are also Jet Airways crew members, were rushed in a semiconscious state to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri, the injured Indica driver — Sanjay Khedekar — was taken to Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli (West).

“All four of them got out of a pub in Lokhandwala after 2am on Friday. Since both the male friends were drunk, they asked Chhetri to drive. Chhetri was speeding at almost 120kmph when she lost control of the Honda Accord, which belonged to Yatish’s father, and hit a Tata Indica coming from the opposition direction,” said MG Telang, senior police inspector, Bangur Nagar police station.

After hitting the Indica, Chhetri’s car also rammed into two stationary autorickshaws and then turned turtle, added Telang. “Even though the airbags did open after the impact, Chhetri banged her head on the windshield when the car turned turtle, and so could not survive the injuries her skull sustained.”

According to the police, the three friends, who are eyewitnesses to the mishap, are still in a state of shock and their statements have not yet been recorded. While Chhetri, a resident of Evershine Nagar in Malad, lived alone in the city as her family resides in Delhi; Yatish and Varun are both resident of Andheri and Jyoti lives in Dombivli.

Following the mishap, a case has been registered against Chhetri at the Bangur Nagar police station under sections 304(A) (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.