Student at Concordia in St. Paul killed, 2 others hurt in single-vehicle crash south of Duluth

Officials on Friday released the identities of a man who died and two others who were injured — all from Eden Prairie — in a single-vehicle crash in northwestern Wisconsin.

The wreck occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday about 35 miles south of Duluth on Hwy. 35 at County Road T near Solon Springs, the Wisconsin State Patrol said.

Back-seat passenger Mahesh Boya, 24, was thrown from the car and died at the scene, the patrol said. Boya was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol added.

Surviving their injuries and hospitalized in Duluth were the driver, 23-year-old Pallapolu Reddy, and 21-year-old Bharath Reddy, the patrol said. A third passenger, 22-year-old Thumu S. Reddy, was not hurt. The survivors all were wearing seat belts, the patrol noted.

"The driver of the vehicle swerved to miss an object in the road and overturned after losing control," a patrol statement read.

Boya was a student at Concordia University in St. Paul, a spokesman for the school said Friday.

"Our CSP community is devastated by this tragedy," spokesman Nick Schroepfer said. "We shared resources with our students, faculty, and staff to help everyone work through this difficult time."

The school's Indian Student Association started a verified GoFundMe account to help the family with funeral expenses.

"On a recent long drive to Duluth with his friends, tragedy struck when their car overturned while avoiding a deer on the road," the association posted. "In this unfortunate incident, the back door of the car opened, and Mahesh fell under the vehicle, tragically losing his life on the spot."

The posting added that "Mahesh came from a very poor background, hailing from a small village in Mahabubnagar district. Despite the challenges he faced, he had numerous aspirations and dreams for a better future."