HYDERABAD: A CCTV camera captured the final moments of a senior neurosurgeon’s drive before his Volvo suddenly veered across lanes, slammed into a barrier on the service road and burst into flames on the Hyderabad-Khammam national highway in Suryapet early Sunday. The doctor, trapped inside the vehicle, was charred to death.The footage shows the Volvo approaching the Pillalamarri flyover before suddenly swerving left from the first lane. The car crosses all lanes and crashes into the outer barrier. Within seconds, the vehicle erupts into flames, with the fire quickly engulfing the entire car.Dr Kasakurthi Jagadeesh Babu, 50, a senior neurosurgeon working at a private hospital and medical college in Khammam, died in the crash. He was travelling to Hyderabad, where his family lives. The accident occurred around 7.15am.The impact was so severe that the Volvo was completely gutted within minutes, leaving the doctor little chance of escaping, police said. By the time police reached the spot after being alerted by locals, the vehicle had been reduced to a burnt-out shell.Police suspect Dr Jagadeesh may have dozed off after being sleep-deprived, but said the exact cause of the crash has not yet been established.“We suspect that Dr Jagadeesh was sleep-deprived and dozed off. He was completely burnt in the accident,” said G Rajashekar, circle inspector, Khammam (rural).However, investigators are also examining whether a technical fault in the vehicle could have contributed to the crash.“We are examining the circumstances that led to the crash and are collecting CCTV footage from toll plazas along the Khammam-Hyderabad route. We are also checking whether there was any technical problem with the car. The exact cause of the crash will be established after the investigation,” the CI said.As the body was completely charred, police initially faced difficulty identifying the victim. He was subsequently identified as Dr Jagadeesh, who headed the neurosurgery department at the private medical college and hospital in Khammam.Dr Jagadeesh had been associated with the hospital for around two decades. Police shifted his body to Suryapet Government General Hospital for postmortem before handing it over to his family.A road accident case has been registered under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
