PICTURED: One of SIX family members killed in wrong-way crash with Texas teen: Deceased victims include child aged just nine years old
- Six members of the same family traveling in a Honda Odyssey minivan were killed in a crash Tuesday near Fort Worth, Texas
- A Chevrolet pickup driven by a 17-year-old went the wrong way on the highway and crashed into them head-on.
- The driver of the Honda Odyssey had moved to Irving, Texas from India in August 2020
Six members of the same family were killed Tuesday when their Honda Odyssey minivan was struck head-on by a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by a 17-year-old and traveling the wrong way on the highway.
Rushil Barri, 28, who was driving the Honda Odyssey, had taken his family members to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and was driving home to Irving, Texas, when the crash occurred.
Barri, who moved to the US from India in August 2020, was killed along with five of his six passengers: his cousin, his cousin's wife, two young children and in-laws, all from Alpharetta, Georgia.
A seventh person in the Honda Odyssey, a 43-year-old man, suffered serious injuries.
Rushil Barri, 28, had moved to Texas from India in August 2020. He was killed Tuesday in a head-on car accident when a pickup truck traveling the wrong way struck his car.
The five dead were named as Naveena Potabathula, 36; Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and children, Krithik Potabathula, 10, and Nishidha Potabathula, 9.
The 17-year-old driver of the Chevrolet pickup and his 17-year-old passenger were also taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Barri's roommate Ayyappala Bandaru told the story NBC News that a message was sent from his friend's iPhone at 4:01 PM on Tuesday, stating that the phone was registering a crash.
“We were in shock, just like what had just happened,” Bandaru said.
“We've tried to reach everyone in the car, but no one is answering.”
The two badly damaged vehicles – a Honda Odyssey and a Chevrolet pickup – were seen after Tuesday's crash on US 67 in Johnson County
The accident happened at 4pm on Tuesday as the family returned from a day at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Ambulances and fire trucks are pictured at the scene of Tuesday's accident
Ayyappala Bandaru (left), Barri's roommate, said they were “like brothers” and praised his friend's ambition
He said Barri was ambitious and driven.
“We were like brothers,” Bandaru said. “He actually looks like my brother here.
'He had very big dreams. He always thought about tomorrow. He used to say, 'Man, we gotta rule this world.'
“We came here with a lot of struggle.”
Sergeant William Lockridge of the Texas Department of Public Safety said it was unclear why the 17-year-old was driving the wrong way.
“For a reason unknown at the time, the Chevrolet pickup entered the northbound lane and struck the Honda Odyssey head-on,” he said.