5 Alpharetta residents killed in head-on collision on Texas highway
JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas - Five residents of Alpharetta, including 2 children, died in a head-on collision on Tuesday in Johnson County, Texas.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, six people in total were killed and three people were injured in the crash on US Highway 67 in Texas, approximately 50 miles southwest of Dallas.
The sheriff's office says that the preliminary investigation indicates that a white Chevrolet Silverado was traveling south on US 67 when it entered the northbound lane in a no-passing area and struck a Honda Odyssey head-on.
The driver of the Honda Odyssey, 28-year-old Rushil Barri, had been driving six family members visiting from Alpharetta over the holiday break.
Barri was killed in the crash. His cousin, Lokesh Potabathula, was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.
Potabathula's 36-year-old wife Naveena, 10-year-old son Krithik, 9-year-old daughter Nishidha, 64-year-old father-in-law Nageswararao Ponnada, and 60-year-old mother-in-law Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada all died in the crash.
Courtesy of KDFW
Investigators said most of the people involved in the crash were not wearing seat belts.
Barri's best friend Ayyappoala Naidu Bandaru grew up with him in India and moved to the United States to earn their master's degrees at around the same time.
Bandaru had been with his friend and the other victims before they left to take a day trip to a wildlife center in Somvall County. He stayed behind - a decision that could have saved his life.
He says he still hasn't processed the tragic loss.
"Even now, I am in a concept that he went to some other place - that he’ll be back soon," he told KDFW.
Rushil Barri
Bandaru says Barri's mother in India can't believe her son is dead.
"She’s telling us that ‘Don’t worry he’s safe.’ We know that he’s no more, but she is not accepting it," he said.
The 17-year-old driver of the Silverado, identified as Luke Reesecker, and 17-year-old passenger Preston Glass, both residents of Glen Rose, were also transported to a Fort Worth hospital in critical condition.
Police are working to determine what led up to the head-on crash and are not sure whether anyone will face charges.
FOX 5 Atlanta's sister station KDFW contributed to this report.