Tollywood actor Sai Dharam Tej’s health condition is said to be stable and all major organs are functioning well, Apollo Hospitals said on Saturday.
The actor met with an accident at Madhapur on Friday evening after his sports bike skidded on the road. He suffered injuries and was rushed to Medicover Hospital. From there, he was shifted to Apollo Hospitals in Jubilee Hills.
“He will continue to be on assisted respiration in ICU for controlled close monitoring and additional investigation will be performed during the day,” the health bulletin issued by the hospital read.
Police said the accident took place around 8 p.m. between Knowledge City and IKEA store in the IT Corridor when the actor, who is the nephew of megastar Chiranjeevi, was going towards Gachibowli from Jubilee Hills. He lost control of his bike, which skidded on the road due to sand.
With Friday being a public holiday due to Ganesh Chaturthi, there was not much traffic on the usually busy road.
According to Madhapur DCP in-charge M. Venkateshwarlu, the actor was riding his bike at 75-80 kmph and on the cable bridge, beyond 100 kmph as against the speed limit of 40 kmph. Before the accident, Mr. Sai Dharam was trying to overtake an autorickshaw from the wrong (left) side, the senior officer disclosed, adding he that was wearing a helmet, which saved him from head injuries.
Mr. Venkateshwarlu said the actor had purchased the sports bike from one Bura Anil Kumar on second-hand basis, but had not got it registered in his name so far. Previously, an e-challan for ₹1,135 was imposed on the bike for overspeeding at 87 kmph and it was cleared on Saturday by an unknown person. This part is being verified as part of the investigation.
“It was found that Sai Dharam Tej has a valid driving license only to drive light motor vehicles(cars etc). However, it is being inquired whether or not the injured actor possesses any valid driving license to drive a motorcycle with gears on public roads,” the officer said. Based on the available evidence, it is clear that the accident was mainly due to overspeeding and reckless driving by the injured actor, police added.
Raidurgam police have booked a case against the actor under Section 336 and 279 Indian Penal Code and Section 184 of MV Act. No blood alcohol test was conducted. Police are yet to recover his statement.
On Friday night, the hospital management said that there were no major injuries to the brain, spine and major organs, based on the preliminary investigations. “He sustained soft tissue injuries and a collar bone fracture,” they said and added there was no need for any immediate surgical intervention.
Mr. Chiranjeevi, his brother and actor-cum-politician Pawan Kalyan, producer Allu Aravind, director Trivikram Srinivas, the actor’s younger brother Vaishnav Tej, cousin Niharika, and other family members rushed to the hospital to see Mr. Sai Dharam.
