Young bizman dies as Range Rover crashes into railings during test-driving

Bengaluru, Mar 27: The dream of a young Bengaluru-based businessman and his family to own a luxury car culminated in a tragedy. Sagar J Rao, 31, was killed while four others, including his wife and six-year-old son suffered severe injuries as a Range Rover SUV he was test-driving met with an accident in south Bengaluru, on Tuesday.

The incident took place at the Nayandhalli toll gate on Nice Road, near PES College Toll Plaza, Hosakerehalli. Byatarayanapura traffic police suspect Rao, a resident of Padmanabhanagar and a native of Mysuru, was at the wheel of the SUV that was moving at a high speed at the time of the accident.

Rao sustained grievous injuries and died en route to hospital, while his wife Sandhya Sagar, 27, son Samartha S, 6, Sagar's friend Gautham S, 30, and demo car driver Shivakumar sustained injuries.

Police said Rao, who was into interior designing, planned to buy a Range Rover and evinced interested in test-driving the car. A showroom at Roopena Agrahara arranged for a test-drive and sent the demo car to Rao. Shivakumar, was in the passenger seat in the front as Rao drove the car on NICE Road towards Hosakerehalli Ring Road when the accident occurred around 3 pm.

The driver was driving at a high speed and lost his control while approaching a toll plaza near PES College. He veered the car to the extreme left and initially hit a cement block and later the road railings. The car jumped the railings and flipped over several times before landing in a 10-metre-deep ditch,” a police officer said.

Dr Soumyalatha SK, deputy commissioner of police (traffic west), said the injured were rushed to BGS Global Hospital, near Kengeri, where Rao was declared brought dead. “We’ve registered a case and seized the car, which was completely damaged in the accident,” Soumyalatha said.