The Indian Student Association at Concordia University in St. Paul is rallying to support the family of Mahesh Boya, a 24-year-old Eden Prairie man who died in a one-car rollover accident last month in Wisconsin.
Boya, a student at Concordia University and a member of the Indian Student Association, was one of four friends from Eden Prairie traveling in a 2006 Toyota Camry when the crash occurred at about 9 a.m. May 23, about 35 miles south of Duluth on Highway 35 near Solon Springs, Wisconsin.
According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, the driver, Pallapolu Reddy, 23, swerved to avoid an object on the road, causing the vehicle to lose control and overturn.
Boya, a backseat passenger, was ejected during the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.
The driver and another passenger, 21-year-old Bharath Reddy, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Essentia Health in Duluth, while another passenger, 22-year-old Thumu S. Reddy, was not injured. All three were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
The state patrol reported that alcohol was not a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
A day after the accident, Dheeraj Kolla of the school’s Indian Student Association launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Boya’s family financially. The campaign aims to assist with funeral expenses, medical bills, and other unanticipated costs.
The campaign has raised about $66,000 of its $100,000 goal as of Sunday afternoon.
On the GoFundMe page, Boya is described as a bright and ambitious student who hailed from a small village in the Mahabubnagar district of the Indian state of Telangana.
He faced numerous challenges in pursuing a better future, coming from a financially disadvantaged background, the page stated. His father worked as a contract worker in Maharashtra, while his mother dedicated herself to being a homemaker.
“We cannot fathom the pain and loss that Mahesh’s family is enduring at this moment,” the GoFundMe page stated. “As a close-knit community, let us rally together and provide support to help alleviate the financial burden they now face. Funeral expenses, medical bills, and the various costs associated with such an unexpected tragedy can be overwhelming.”
Any funds raised beyond the immediate needs will be used to establish a memorial scholarship in his name, “ensuring that his legacy lives on and inspires other students from underprivileged backgrounds to pursue their dreams,” the page stated.
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