Hyderabad: Venkata Ramana Reddy, a 26-year-old environment research analyst at FactSet, succumbed to injuries late on Tuesday night after being hit by a speeding car on the ORR slip road near Nanakramguda under Raidurgam police station limits on Monday. His family alleged that a delay in treatment cost him his life.
The accused, 19-year-old Sri Kailash, a university student in London, who was allegedly driving at breakneck speed, had received his driving licence four months back.
“The driver’s father is a senior surgeon; he could have asked for his father’s help and shifted him to any private hospital, but the treatment was delayed,” said Srinivasa, a relative of the deceased.
“The doctors at the private hospital told us that Venkata Ramana was brain-dead with three fractures on his skull and was not treated within the golden hour. Had he been shifted to the hospital at least 10 minutes earlier, he would have survived,” he said.
According to the relatives and the police, the accident happened at around 1.50 am, but the victims were not shifted to the nearest Kondapur area hospital, only five kilometers away, until 2.30 am. There the emergency care doctors suggested that he be shifted to Gandhi hospital.
“We rushed Venkata Ramana to a private hospital by 3.50 am,” said Vasanth Reddy, his uncle.
“Kailash was driving at 120 kmph,” Vasanth said with tear-filled eyes, adding that his nephew was the breadwinner of his family.
On Monday, Venkata Ramana and his friend K. Srivani, 21, were returning to Gandipet after attending a Class X reunion in Kamareddy. Srivani died on the spot, while Venkata Ramana survived until Tuesday.
Raidurgam SI N. Pranay said that Kailash tested negative for alcohol in the breathalyser. He was beaten up by locals, who reported the accident and called an ambulance. The driver has been charged under Sections 106 and 125(a) of the BNS Act, he said.
The body was sent to Osmania hospital mortuary for postmortem and later handed over to the family.
Venkata Ramana is survived by his parents, both farmers from Banswada in Kamareddy district, and his college-going younger brother Tirumala Reddy.
