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Lexington man killed after being struck by bus at Logan Airport

Vishwachand KollaKolla family/courtesey photo

The Lexington man who was fatally struck by a bus at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Monday was a father of two boys who was there to pick up a musician traveling from their native India, his brother said.

Vishwachand Kolla,47, had volunteered for about 20 years with Jeeyar Education Trust USA, a nonprofit that helps educate students in Vedic traditions and spirituality.

“He specialized in bringing awareness to the youth born here to Indian parents about the culture and heritage of Indian, what they can learn from it and how they can live it,” Saratchand Kolla said in an interview Tuesday night. “He was very soft spoken, very philanthropic, very inspiring.”

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Kolla was a married father of two sons, ages 8 and 14, who had lived in Massachusetts for about 11 years, his brother said. He was born and raised in India, living in Hyderabad and Chennai, until after he earned his undergraduate degree.

Saratchand Kolla described the crash as a an “unfortunate, freak accident” and said the family is waiting for state troopers to finish their investigation.

Kolla was at the airport around 5 p.m. to pick up a friend and parked curbside at Terminal B’s lower level when he was hit by a Dartmouth Coach bus, State Police said.

Kolla was standing on the driver’s side of his Acura SUV when the middle of the bus made contact with him and dragged him along the driver’s side of his vehicle, according to a preliminary investigation by State Police.

An off-duty nurse who was nearby performed lifesaving measures on Kolla, as did personnel from the Massport Fire Department and Boston EMS, but Kolla did not survive, and was pronounced dead at the scene, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman.

The bus driver, a 54-year-old woman, was interviewed by troopers and declined medical treatment, Procopio said.

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The incident remains under investigation to determine whether criminal charges are warranted according to Procopio.

Dartmouth Coach said in a statement it is working with State Police and Massport to gather more information.

“Our deepest sympathies are with everyone impacted by this evening’s incident at Logan Airport,” the statement said.

Kolla worked for Takeda, a global biopharmaceutical company with offices in Lexington and Cambridge. Kolla was a member of Takeda’s global oncology team, the company said.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of his unexpected passing,” the company said in a statement. “We send our heartfelt condolences to Vishwachand’s family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time and will be looking at how we can help offer any support as we respect the family’s privacy during this time.”

Late Tuesday afternoon, the terminal was busy and crowded with passengers waiting to be picked up. Cars and buses drove around two parked State Police cruisers and a cars idled at curbside bumper to bumper.

Passengers and drivers for transportation companies appeared to be more cautious, in light of Monday’s fatality.

A van driver named George, who declined to give his last name, said he feels fortunate to not have been in an accident at the airport.

Sitting in his van, George, observed a man peering out into the lane of oncoming traffic.

“Wonder if that guy is making a mistake in the same way,” he said.

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Amina Michel-Lord, who was waiting to be picked up, said she felt terrible for the victim, driver and everyone involved in Monday’s crash. Logan Airport, she said, is always busy and crowded.

“I just flew in from Memphis,” she said. “The airport over there is a lot easier to navigate.”

Michael Smith, who was waiting for a bus, said he heard about the crash from his cousin who works at the airport.

“Now I gotta make sure I’m not standing on that side of the car,” Smith said, referring to the driver’s side. “It’s just a lot of cars here.”

Smith, who is from New York City, said the terminal is crowded every time he comes to Logan.

“Now it wouldn’t be a problem if these cars weren’t waiting here,” he said. “You’re supposed to circle around and only park to pickup and drop off.”

Jennifer Mehigan, a spokeswoman for MassPort, said officials are reviewing what happened and will make changes as needed.

“This was a tragic accident and our condolences go out to Mr. Kolla’s family and loved ones,” Mehigan said in an e-mail Tuesday. “Whenever a serious incident happens at Logan or any of our facilities, we take the opportunity to evaluate what occurred, reiterate the safety protocols across Massport and with our tenants and partners, and make changes as needed.”

Emily Sweeney of the Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent Breanne Kovatch contributed to this report.


Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.