ADVERTISEMENT

Wrong-way teen driver kills 6, including 2 children, in Texas, authorities say

alaskanseminole

HR Legend
Oct 20, 2002
21,030
29,645
113
My God, that is horrific. All five in the struck vehicle died. That 17 yo driver, if he survives, will have to live with this the rest of his life.

---------------------------

Wrong-way teen driver kills 6, including 2 children, in Texas, authorities say​

Phil Helsel and Juliette Arcodia
Updated Thu, December 28, 2023 at 3:57 AM CST·2 min read

Six people were killed in Texas when the teenage driver of a pickup truck went into oncoming traffic and struck a minivan carrying seven people head-on, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.

Three people, including the 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck, were hospitalized with critical injuries after the crash Tuesday in Johnson County, which is south of Fort Worth, the department said in a news release.

Two of the dead are children ages 10 and 9.

The crash happened on U.S. Route 67 at around 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado with a 17-year-old driver and a passenger was traveling south and entered the northbound lane in a “no passing” zone, the department said.

The truck then struck the 2021 Honda Odyssey, which was traveling north, it said.

An aerial view of investigators at the site of the crash. (Texas Sky Ranger / via NBC Dallas-Fort Worth)

An aerial view of investigators at the site of the crash. (Texas Sky Ranger / via NBC Dallas-Fort Worth)

The driver of the Odyssey and five passengers died. The sole surviving passenger, a 43-year-old man, suffered critical injuries, the department said.

The driver and the passenger of the pickup truck also suffered critical injuries, it said.

The investigation continued Wednesday, the department said.

Aerial video broadcast by NBC Dallas-Fort Worth showed both vehicles heavily damaged, with the front ends of each destroyed.
The dead were identified as Rushil Barri, 28, of Irvine, Texas, who was the driver of the Odyssey; Naveena Potabathula, 36; Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; and Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and the children, Krithik Potabathula, 10, and Nishidha Potabathula, 9.

They are members of the same family, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

All except Barri were from Alpharetta, Georgia.

Ayyappala Bandaru, Barri's roommate, said Barri was driving with his cousin, his cousin’s wife, two young children and his in-laws when the crash occurred, according to the station.

The family was returning from visiting Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, he said.
 
As I get older, I get more and more apprehensive about driving due to the fact that I can't control what the other people on the road are going to do.

I'm rocking a perfect driving record, but I always feel like it's a matter of time before someone does something completely stupid and I get no choice but to participate. I have witnessed a few of those though. The text and drive guy that drove into stopped cars at 55mph without touching his brakes was something to behold. I also recently had some teens in a stolen car try to on purpose accident me but my subconscious stepped in and out maneuvered them.
 
This is part of the reason I drive a full sized truck. If a distracted driver is about to hit me, I want the best chances to walk away with minimal injuries.

My rich and tight uncle drives a Prius. A few years ago he was rear ended at a stop light by a distracted driver. His back is messed up for the rest of his life. Was it worth saving money driving a Prius?
 
This is part of the reason I drive a full sized truck. If a distracted driver is about to hit me, I want the best chances to walk away with minimal injuries.

My rich and tight uncle drives a Prius. A few years ago he was rear ended at a stop light by a distracted driver. His back is messed up for the rest of his life. Was it worth saving money driving a Prius?

So you are saying I should drive a tank?
 
This is part of the reason I drive a full sized truck. If a distracted driver is about to hit me, I want the best chances to walk away with minimal injuries.

My rich and tight uncle drives a Prius. A few years ago he was rear ended at a stop light by a distracted driver. His back is messed up for the rest of his life. Was it worth saving money driving a Prius?
So you are saying I should drive a tank?

Does a Jeep with steel bumpers count?

This is the BMW who rear-ended me a few weeks ago. I didn't get a scratch (no exaggeration).

akgU3Kx.jpg
 
Sounds like he crossed over the double solid lines. Not sure if he was distracted, or was trying to pass someone, or what but I can imagine it was a pretty high speed.

Local news had people saying that the road has gotten pretty congested and that wrecks were becoming more common with a lot more cars on that road.
 
Friggin yikes. Not a whole helluva lot of those vehicles left in that pic. Sad stuff.
 
Does a Jeep with steel bumpers count?

This is the BMW who rear-ended me a few weeks ago. I didn't get a scratch (no exaggeration).

akgU3Kx.jpg
Did the Beamer priack say the damage to his car was your fault due to the sturdiness of your vehicle? I’ve had that happen with my Wrangler’s heavy duty bumpers. I just laughed and said you ran into me, not my fault.
 
Damn, I've driven that stretch many times, family in that area. Two lane highway, busy, speed limit 70, everyone's flying. Y intersection where it happened, sun can make it hard to see at certain part of day. Forget what the locals call that intersection with all the accidents and near misses that have happened there.
 
Last edited:
Did the Beamer priack say the damage to his car was your fault due to the sturdiness of your vehicle? I’ve had that happen with my Wrangler’s heavy duty bumpers. I just laughed and said you ran into me, not my fault.
Not that I'm aware of. He was an AF Officer running late for PT. He called USAA and filed a claim on his insurance claiming it was his fault.
 
I'm rocking a perfect driving record, but I always feel like it's a matter of time before someone does something completely stupid and I get no choice but to participate. I have witnessed a few of those though. The text and drive guy that drove into stopped cars at 55mph without touching his brakes was something to behold. I also recently had some teens in a stolen car try to on purpose accident me but my subconscious stepped in and out maneuvered them.
A few years ago I got a speeding ticket on christmas Eve on HWY 20 between Waterloo and I35.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Moral
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT