Hyderabad: Tollywood film producer Nandamuri Janakiram died at a local hospital due to internal injuries in his abdomen and chest following a road accident.
The accident occurred in Munagala mandal near Kodad at around 6.30 pm. “He was driving towards Vijayawada when his vehicle rammed into the tractor.
The tractor was crossing the road to take a village road from the highway, and the car hit the right side of the tractor. His chest and abdomen must have hit the steering wheel or other solid parts of the vehicle causing serious internal injuries. His arms were also severely damaged," said Suryapet DSP M.A. Rasheed.
A few locals, who were working in the field, noticed the accident, hearing the crash and came to the rescue of the victim.
They informed the local police and emergency services. "When we reached, his body was hanging from the fully damaged part of the vehicle.
We rushed him to a local hospital, where doctors declared him dead," said a police official from Munagala.
The front of the Tata Safari with registration number AP29 BD 2323 was completely damaged, while the right side big tyre of the tractor came off.
The driver of the tractor was suspected to have escaped without any injury. Before the locals reached the spot, the driver fled from the area.
Munagala police have registered a case against him for causing death due to negligence and started a manhunt. The body has been brought to Hyderabad.
Meanwhile Air bag failed to deploy
The crash was sudden and powerful. Moreover, the 2008 model Safari EX4X2’s safety features failed as the airbag did not deploy, resulting in Janakiram’s death.
The police officials said that the tractor driver too was driving on the wrong side of the highway on a stretch where the road divider was damaged.
Officials, who visited the mishap site, said that if the airbag had deployed, the victim could have escaped with injuries.
“We are not sure if he was wearing a seat belt when the incident happened. We will find it out. The airbag had not deployed and the victim's body had hit the steering wheel,” said a police official.
