Three Indian Students Killed in Tragic Road Accident in Massachusetts; Four Others Injured
- Six of the seven occupants of the car attended the University of New Haven and one was a graduate student at Sacred Heart University.
Three Indian students studying in Connecticut were killed in a tragic incident in Massachusetts earlier this week. Five others traveling in the same Toyota Sienna were injured. Prem Kumar Reddy Goda, 27, Pavani Gullapally, 22 and Sai Narasimha Patamsetti, 22, died on the spot after their car collided with another car, the Berkshire District Attorney’s office said in an Oct. 28 press release.
The DA’s office also released the names of the people injured in the accident. Manoj Reddy Donda, 23, Sridhar Reddy Chinthakunta, 22, Vijith Reddy Gummala, 23, and Hima Ishwarya Siddireddy, 22, were all taken to the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield for treatment. The driver and sole occupant of the other vehicle, Armando Bautista-Cruz, 46, of Sheffield was taken to Fairview Medical Center in Great Barrington for treatment, according to the Berkshire Country District Attorney’s Office.
The crash occurred on Oct. 25 at 5:30 a.m., when the northbound Toyota Sienna and a southbound Chevrolet Silverado collided on Route 7 near Pike Road in Sheffield, a town in Berkshire County.
Six of the seven occupants of the car attended the University of New Haven and while one — Prem Kumar Reddy Goda — attended Sacred Heart University, according to the Berkshire Country District Attorney’s Office.
Both the university’s confirmed that the deceased students attend the respective universities, the Hartford Courant reported. “Sai Narasimha Patamsetti and Pavani Gullapally came to the United States and to the University of New Haven with hopes and dreams, filled with unlimited potential,” the university said in a letter to students, per the Hartford Courant. “The grief we feel for the families, friends, classmates and professors of Sai and Pavani is deep and painful. We come together as a community to remember them and to gain strength and hope from each other and from the lives they led.”
Sacred Heart University also confirmed Goda was attending the Welch College of Business and Technology studying computer science in pursuit of his master’s degree, the Hartford Courant said. Catherine McCabe, dean of the Welch College of Business and Technology sent a letter to the college community. “Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to Prem’s family, friends and those of you who knew him,” the letter read, according to the Hartford Courant. “As is our custom, the SHU flag will be lowered in Prem’s memory through the end of the week.
Three separate fundraisers have been set up online for Goda, Gullapally and Patamsetti.
In a GoFundMe page set up for Goda, his parents’ cousin, Sudhakar Jale
Says that he came to the United States three months ago after finishing his engineering degree in India. He comes from a very poor background and has borrowed money to come here. “The family is left with a huge debt and not in a position to pay. I am reaching out for your help to raise money to pay off the debt and help his family.
Like Goda, Patamsetti was in the U.S. for the past three months as well, says his GoFundMe page. “The son of a farmer, Patamsetti had to take out loans so he could study abroad, organizer Nitheen Nallay Palli says on the page. “In this time of distress, the family is not in a position to pay,” he added. “This money will help with the family repaying the loans and also for his funeral and memorial services.”
Gullapally, who graduated from Kakatiya University in Warangal, was pursuing a Masters in Civil Engineering at UNH. “She traveled to the U.S. with an education loan, which their family has to repay,” the page said. “This tragic incident left her parent’s mental and physical health in an abnormal state, and we’re trying to cut down their financial burdens with this Fundraising program.”