May 12: A 41-year-old company manager died and two of his colleagues were injured when their autorickshaw smashed into a stationary truck near the Mulund checkpost early Monday morning.

The police said A R Soman Pillai, Dinkar Kakde and Krishna Thakur employed with Shroff and Co in Chembur went to a hotel for drinks and dinner after finishing work on Sunday.

It was very late by the time they finished and they hired an autorickshaw (MH-03 J 257) to go home. They were driving on the L B S Marg when, near the Mulund checkpost, their driver lost control and slammed into the truck (HR-47 2117), which was loaded with machine parts and parked on the roadside.Pillai received serious injuries on the head from the impact and he died instantly. Kakde and Thakur were only slightly injured.

The three were rushed to the Mulund General Hospital where Pillai was declared dead before admission. The other two were discharged after treatment.

The Vikhroli police filed a case of careless driving and causing death against the rickshaw driver and is searching for him.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.