MUMBAI: A 40-year-old taxi driver was killed when a car driven by a 20-year-old collegian jumped the divider and collided head-on with his vehicle on J J flyover at 8am on Sunday.

Ashwi Shah, a final year student, told police she got scared and lost control of her Verna when a speeding SUV overtook her from the left at a sharp turn. Shah, who escaped with minor injuries along with two passengers of the cab, was on her way to her Lalbaug home from a relative’s south Mumbai residence. A medical test showed she was not drunk at the time of the incident, police said.

Shah, arrested and booked under IPC Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304 (A) (death by negligence), was produced before the Esplanade court and given bail in the evening.

The cabbie, Ramprasad Gupta, was a Cuffe Parade resident and was returning from the central suburbs when tragedy struck. He is survived by his wife, two sons aged 7 and 11 and a 5-year-old daughter. Gupta’s body was handed over to his family after the postmortem.

Soon after the accident, which was brought to the notice of Pydhonie police by passing motorists, Shah was given first aid and taken to police station before her family was contacted.

Gupta’s family and friends have demanded compensation as he was the sole bread winner. “He used to leave his Cuffe Parade home near R C Church at 5am daily and return at 8.30pm. The incident has shattered the lives of his wife and three school-going children,” his cousin Suresh Rai told TOI. “Gupta wanted to give his children the best education. He worked hard for it,” Rai added.

Gupta’s friends at the R C Church taxi-stand said he was known for his kindness and was a family man. While his wife was not in a position to talk, his children seemed completely lost as people gathered at their Cuffe Parade home. Salim Shaikh, a taxi driver, said Gupta was always in the queue by 5am. Gupta, who hailed from a village in Uttar Pradesh, had been in Mumbai for 25 years. “He had never met with even a minor accident in the last 10 years. He was very careful,” said Shaikh.

Mumbai Taximen’s Union leader A L Quadros said a decision would soon be taken on how they could help the Gupta family. Quadros said the process was underway to get Rs1 lakh from Mahanagar Gas, a Rs 3 lakh insurance claim and another claim which will help Gupta’s family to some extent.

Meanwhile, the police on Friday night arrested 28-year-old Kandivli businessman, Nishit Wasani, for crashing his SUV into a two-wheeler and killing the rider. Sultan Shaikh (25) was flung off the flyover, near Phoenix mall, with the impact of the crash.

