Bodies of Indian Family Killed in Car Crash in US Likely to Be Flown to India on Sunday

An Indian family was killed in a horrible vehicle crash in the US state of Texas, and friends and community members have organized a vigil on Saturday in honor of them. According to local media reports, their bodies will probably be flown to India on Sunday.

There will be vigils in Houston and Metro Atlanta this weekend to honor the lives of the six killed and allow people to pay their respects.

A survivor is fighting severe wounds in a hospital in Dallas, Texas, following a fatal crash on December 26 that claimed the lives of six Indians, including two children.

The family originally belonged to Amalapuram town in Andhra Pradesh.

While 43-year-old Lokesh Potabathula survived the crash, his brother, 28-year-old Rushil Barri, a resident of Alpharetta, Georgia; Potabathula’s wife, 36-year-old Naveena Potabathula; the couple’s children, 9-year-old Nishidha Potabathula and 10-year-old Krithik Potabathula; and Naveena’s parents, 60-year-old Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada and 64-year-old Nageswararao Ponnada, perished in the fatal accident.

Atlanta News First station said on Friday that the bodies of the Indian family members died in a crash in Texas would be flown to India on Sunday.

The channel spoke with Sunil Savili, founder of the Indian Friends of Atlanta and, also, a part of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), who is helping out the Indian family in their time of grief.

Definitely one needs to be hand in hand and support everyone. We are there for the family, we are there for the people in need, Savili told Atlanta News First.

Another local channel, 11Alive quoted Ashok Kolla of TANA, saying they have been coordinating with funeral homes, airlines and multiple consulates to ensure that the bodies of the crash victims are returned to their home in India.

11Alive.com also reported that Lokesh, who remained critical, underwent several surgeries.

He currently has a broken arm and ankles, as well as injuries to his neck and spine, which may result in him not walking again.

On top of all that, he may have also lost his sight. The accident took place on Tuesday evening near Cleburne, about 53 km south of Fort Worth, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Based on an initial examination, the sheriff’s office stated that a 17-year-old driver of a pickup truck entered the northbound lanes in a zone designated for no-passing and struck a minivan carrying the Indians.

(with PTI inputs)