Ayyappala Bandaru stood with friends and family as they remembered his roommate Rushil Barri.
“We were like brothers,” Bandaru said. “He’s actually like my brother over here.”
Barri was one of six people killed in a head-on crash on U.S 67 in Johnson County Tuesday afternoon.
Barri moved to Irving from India in August of 2020.
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“He had very big dreams,” Bandaru said. “He always used to think about tomorrow. He used to be like 'Man, we need to rule this world.' We came here with a lot of struggles.”
Texas Department of Public Safety investigators said Barri was driving a Honda Odyssey with his cousin, his cousin's wife, two young children and in-laws when they were hit by a truck driving in a "no passing" portion of the highway.
“For an unknown reason at this time, the Chevrolet pickup truck traveled into the northbound lane and struck the Honda Odyssey head-on,” Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant William Lockridge said.
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The 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck and 17-year-old passenger are both in Fort Worth hospitals in critical condition.
The sole survivor of the minivan -- 43-year old Lokesh Potabathula -- was also taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
A 9-year-old girl, Nishidha Potabathula, and 10-year-old boy, Krithik Potabathula, died in the crash. A woman, 36-year-old Naveena Potabathula, also died.
Nageswararao Ponnada, 64, and Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60, were also killed, according to Texas DPS.
Bandaru said the family was returning from visiting Fossil Rim Wildlife Center when the crash happened.
“At 4:01, she got a message saying Rushil’s iPhone has met with a crash,” Bandaru said. “We were in shock like what just happened. We tried reaching everyone in the car and no one is picking up.”
Because surviving family still lives in India and are Telugu-speaking, the Telugu Association of North America(TANA) stepped in to help with arrangements for the bodies to be returned to India.
“We are working on all the process,” TANA representative Ashok Kolla said. “We are trying to expedite everything. We are working with the consulate, the Indian consulate, in Houston. We are also working with the airlines.”
According to the Dallas Morning News,
They also still have the heartbreaking task of notifying family in India.
“It’s really bad,” Bandaru said. “We don’t know how to convey this news to them. We can’t just call them and say your son is no more, he met with an accident.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with medical and funeral expenses.
