Five Indian students injured in US car crash

Mangalore Today News Network

Houston, Dec 9, 2014, (PTI): Five Indian engineering students have been seriously injured after their car collided head-on with a truck in the US state of Texas.

The collision occurred as the students, studying at Texas A&M University, were returning back after Thanksgiving break in New Orleans.

The Courier of Montgomery County reported the driver swerved to try and avoid the truck when he saw it in his lane.

The five — Pranan Kannan, 22; Akshay Jain, 22; Chiranjibi Boere, 23; Shachit Iyer, 23; and Kishan Bajaj, 24 — were immediately taken to hospitals.

Life flight helicopters took two students — Jain and Bajaj — to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.

All five students are expected to survive, but are in critical condition at this point.
Indian-Americans are raising funds to arrange to bring their parents here for their care and to help pay their medical bills.

Meanwhile, the truck driver, identified as 25-year-old Cleveland, was reported to be in stable condition.

The collision late last month occurred on the right passenger side of the vehicles, with the rear passenger door of the Hyundai being impaled into the right front of the 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Officials are investigating what caused Polawco’s truck to veer into the oncoming lane and do not believe alcohol or speeding were factors.