An online fundraiser launched after members of an Alpharetta family were killed in a Texas car wreck has raised more than $385,000.
“We are absolutely heartbroken by this unfortunate incident,” Suneetha Gudipalli wrote on the fundraising page after six relatives were killed and one critically injured. “We want to ease their financial strain during this difficult time. Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference.”
Gudipalli’s cousin, Lokesh Potabathula, and his family were visiting another cousin, Rushil Barri, in the Dallas area. They all piled into their large minivan, with Barri at the wheel, for a short trip to a wildlife preserve on the day after Christmas. The 2021 Honda Odyssey was struck head-on by a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado on U.S. 67 in Johnson County, southwest of Fort Worth. Authorities said the driver of the truck, a 17-year-old, had tried to pass another vehicle and then collided with the minivan.
Potabathula’s wife Naveena, 36, died in the crash along with their 10-year-old son Krithik and 9-year-old daughter Nishidha, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Barri, 28, of Irving, was also killed, officials said, as well as Lokesh’s 64-year-old father-in-law Nageswararao Ponnada and 60-year-old mother-in-law Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, both from India.
Lokesh, 43, was the lone survivor in the minivan and remains at a Fort Worth hospital fighting for his life.
“Lokesh was airlifted to Texas Health Harris Methodist Emergency Room with critical injuries. Lokesh is in a critical condition undergoing multiple surgeries as he had deep intestinal injury, several fractures all over his body including spine, ribs and limbs,” the fundraising page reads. “As per doctors, it can take months of medical treatments & physiotherapy to get him back to normal life.”
In addition to defraying medical expenses, funds raised through the online campaign will be used to transport the remains of the deceased to India and to pay for funerals, the fundraising page reads.
The family had been returning from a visit to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Bandaru said. Their celebration changed in an instant, leaving their loved ones and the tight-knit Indian community stunned.
“We were just like, what just happened, did this thing really happen?” Bandaru told reporters in Texas.
Ashok Kolla, with the Telugu Association of North America, said his organization is working with the Indian consulate in Houston and airlines to help the victims and their relatives. The family members were all originally from India, except for the two young children, officials said.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Kolla told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Right now, our main aim is to reunite all the deceased with the loved ones back home in India.”
Krithik was a sixth grader at Autrey Mill Middle School, while Nishidha was a fourth grader at Dolvin Elementary School, according to state Rep. Michelle Au.
“I will share ways to support as I learn of them, but for now, please keep this family in your thoughts as they move through this unspeakable tragedy,” she wrote on Facebook.
On Thursday, the Potabathulas’ apartment, tucked away near woods at the rear of their complex near State Bridge Road, was adorned with a Christmas wreath on the door and a large welcome sign. Neighbors who talked with the AJC in the quiet community said they didn’t know the family.
Tuesday’s crash happened just before 4 p.m. on a stretch of the two-lane highway that residents have criticized for its dangerous conditions. Officials said the Silverado’s teenage driver tried to pass in a no-passing zone. The violent wreck, which severely damaged the front ends of both vehicles, left debris strewn across both lanes and shut down the highway for hours.
“We call it ‘Death Highway’ out here,” Laurel Ball, who grew up in the area, told WFAA-TV in Dallas. “When you get past (County Road) 1119, it has a lot of trees, and it’s very narrow. Not to mention, depending on the time of day, the sun is shining, and it makes it blinding.”
Bandaru said he got a phone notification about the crash and “tried to call everyone in the car: Rushil, Lokesh, and his wife.”
No one answered.
The Silverado’s driver and a 17-year-old passenger were hospitalized in critical condition. The AJC is not publishing their names since they have not been charged in the wreck, which remains under investigation. Officials said four of the deceased victims were not wearing seat belts.
It’s been a difficult time for Barri’s brother, Rakesh, who called him “my half.”
“Just in one family, they lost five members. It’s like … I don’t even know what to say on that,” he added.
Just days before the wreck, Bandaru remembered being together and talking with Barri at their shared apartment.
“I miss him like anything, man, more than a brother, more than a brother. ... Now he’s nowhere in my life,” he said.
— Staff writer Josh Reyes contributed to this article
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