Illinois based tech company's CEO falls to death in front of staff members at work party: Reports

An Illinois-based tech company's CEO lost his life in a freak accident while celebrating the firm's anniversary, according to CBS affiliate WBBM-TV.

Sanjay Shah, CEO of Vistex, passed away due to injuries sustained in an accident during the silver jubilee celebrations of the firm at Ramoji Film City in India, the Times of India said. The president of the company, Raju Datla, was also seriously injured, police told the publication.

Vistex had arranged for its employees to stay at Ramoji Film City and organized a two-day celebration for its 25th anniversary. According to a company representative who spoke to The Times of India, the event where Shah and Raju were lowered from a cage onto the stage was a planned stunt to start the festivities.

A video posted by the New York Post showed that during celebrations on Thursday evening, Shah and his colleague Datla entered an iron cage that was intended to be lowered from an undisclosed height. Video showed one of the chains breaking, causing both individuals to fall with one of the men landing head-first on the ground. The incident remains under investigation, police said Monday.
 

"Suddenly, one of the two wires attached to the cage snapped. Both plunged more than 15 feet and landed on the concrete dais," police told the Times of India. "This caused multiple injuries."

Medics rushed them to a hospital before the pair were moved to a corporate hospital, where they were in critical condition. Shah injured his leg and hand, while Datla suffered a severe head injury, CBS reported. Shah died at the hospital, and Datla was listed in critical condition on Monday, CBS reported. 

 

What is Vistex?

Vistex is an Illinois-based revenue-management company with clients including GM, Barilla, Bayer, and Coca-Cola.

The company's website positions the firm as "a trusted partner" for businesses looking to optimize their revenue streams.
 

More about Shah and Datla

Shah created the Vistex Foundation and Institute for Executive Learning and Research at Lehigh University. He also established the Vistex Foundation, providing grants to non-profits for health, education, and basic needs programming.

In addition, Shah opened Vistex Hospital in Bihar, India, providing primary and secondary health services to marginalized communities.

According to the company's website, Datla has been a part of Vistex since 2000 and has significantly contributed to developing and broadening the firm's Solution Delivery capabilities.