An accident on U.S. Highway 67 in Johnson County, Texas, has resulted in the loss of six lives, including five members of a family from Andhra Pradesh, India, and left three others critically wounded. The accident occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 26, 2023.
This particular stretch of U.S. Highway 67 is notorious for its heavy congestion, particularly during peak hours. The unfortunate event involved a head-on collision between a Honda Odyssey minivan and a pickup truck, resulting in immediate fatalities and serious injuries.
The minivan was transporting a family from Alpharetta, Georgia, who were returning home after spending their Christmas in Texas. The fatalities included Nageshwara Rao Ponnada, 64, his wife Seetha Mahalakshmi Ponnada, 60, their daughter Naveena Potabathula, 36, and two grandchildren, Kruthik, 10, and Nishita, 9.
The minivan’s driver, identified as 28-year-old Rushil Barri of Irving, Texas, also perished in the crash. Lokesh Potabathula, 43, Barri’s cousin and Nageshwara Rao’s son-in-law, and the only survivor from the minivan, suffered severe injuries. The Ponnada family had been visiting from India.
The pickup truck, which was traveling in the wrong direction on the highway, had two 17-year-old occupants, Luke Resecker and Preston Glass. Both survived the crash but are in critical condition and were airlifted to hospitals in the Fort Worth area for emergency treatment.
Following the incident, U.S. Highway 67 was closed for several hours to allow for emergency response and initial investigation. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office are conducting a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash.
The accident has profoundly impacted both the local and Indian-American communities due to the family’s origin. Various organizations, including the Telugu Association of North America, are extending necessary support for the repatriation of the bodies to India.