Tragedy caught on camera: Bengaluru man who wanted to surprise father, killed after tree branch falls on him

A 29-year-old HR executive succumbed to his injuries after suffering 12 skull fractures when a tree branch fell on his head in Bengaluru on Thursday, news agency PTI reported. The deceased -- identified as Akshay Shivaram - was on his scooter without a helmet when the incident occurred near Brahma Chaitanya Temple in Hanumanthnagar. Akshay had been in a coma since the accident, which took place on June 15, and breathed his last on Thursday at a private hospital in Jayanagar.

Akshay, an employee at a private firm in Rajajinagar, sustained serious injuries while out buying meat to prepare lunch for his father’s birthday and had planned a special dinner for him, Times of India reported. 

He was on his two-wheeler when a dry tree branch suddenly broke off and struck him. CCTV footage shared online captured the moment Akshay lost his balance after the impact and collided with a parked vehicle.

Doctors revealed that he had sustained a total of 12 head injuries, as per the agency. Officials from the Jayanagar police station have confirmed his death. “We were informed of the death at about 1 pm,” an official told PTI.

Following the incident, Akshay’s brother, Benkaraj, filed an official complaint against the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Forest Department. He accused both agencies of negligence, claiming they ignored repeated warnings from local residents and temple authorities about the hazardous tree branch, which had neither been trimmed nor removed.

The Hanumanthnagar police have registered the complaint and launched an investigation.