Texas: Wrong-way Teen Driver Kills 6 in Highway Crash

On Tuesday, a wrong-way teen driver killed six people, including two children, in a highway crash on US Route 67 at around 4 pm.

The crash began when the teenage driver of a pickup truck went into opposing vehicles and struck a minivan carrying seven people head-on.

Six People Dead in Texas Highway Crash

(Photo : LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Public Safety Department reported that three people, including the 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck, were rushed to the hospital and suffered critical injuries after the crash in Johnson County.

Two of the dead were children ages 10 and 9.

The 17-year-old driver entered a northbound lane in a no-passing zone while driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado with a passenger heading south. The truck hit the 2021 Honda Odyssey, which was traveling north.

According to the department, the driver of the Odyssey and five passengers died. Meanwhile, the sole surviving passenger, a 43-year-old man, has suffered severe injuries.

On Wednesday, the department confirmed that the investigation would be in progress.

The NBC Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasted an aerial video that showed both vehicles were heavily damaged, with the front ends of each destroyed.

Rushil Barri of Irvine, Texas, who was the driver of the Odyssey, Naveena Potabathula, Nageswararao Ponnada, and Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, and the children, Krithik Potabathula, and Nishidha Potabathula were all identified as dead.

The people killed in the crash were members of the same family except Barri, who was from Alpharetta, Georgia.

According to NBC News, Ayyappala Bandaru, Barri's roommate, said Barri was driving with his cousin, cousin's wife, two young children, and his in-laws when the crash happened. He said the family went to visit Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

Barri's Friend Mourns

Bandaru said that at exactly 4:01 pm on Tuesday, a message was sent from his friend's iPhone, saying the phone registered a crash.

"We were in shock like what just happened," Bandaru said. When he read the message, he immediately tried reaching everyone in the car, but no one picked up.

According to Daily Mail Online, Bandaru described Barri as ambitious and driven because he had very big dreams. He added that they were like brothers.

Furthermore, he shared that Barri always used to think about tomorrow and tell him they needed to rule the world. He also claimed that they moved to the US from India in August 2020 with a lot of struggles.

Sergeant William Lockridge of Texas department of public safety reported that it was unclear why the 17-year-old was driving the wrong way. He noted that the Chevrolet pickup truck traveled into the northbound lane for an unknown reason and struck the Honda Odyssey head-on.