6 dead, 3 injured in North Texas head-on, 2-vehicle crash

Six people, including two children, died Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash in North Texas, authorities said. Three other people were injured, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

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According to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson William Lockridge, the collision involved a Honda Odyssey minivan and a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Six of the seven passengers in the Odyssey were killed, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office told WSB-TV that five of the occupants in the minivan were from Alpharetta, Georgia. The sixth person, who was the driver, was from Irving, Texas, according to the television station.

The driver and passenger of the truck -- a pair of 17-year-olds -- were taken to Fort Worth area hospitals in critical condition, according to the television station.

In a news release Wednesday, the Texas DPS identified those killed as Nishidha Potabathula, 9; Krithik Potabathula, 10; Rushil Barri, 28; Naveena Potabathula, 36; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and Nageswararao Ponnada, 64.

The DPS said that Barri, who was the driver, and Naveena Potabathula were the only occupants in the Odyssey wearing seatbelts, the Morning News reported.

According to a preliminary investigation, the pickup truck was heading south on U.S. 67 on a two-lane highway south of Cleburne at about 4 p.m. CST, KXAS-TV reported. Authorities believe the pickup crossed into the northbound lane of the highway in a no-passing zone and struck the Odyssey, according to the television station.

The three people injured were taken via helicopter to Fort Worth-area hospitals in critical condition, Lockridge told the Morning News. One of the survivors, a 26-year-old, is from Alpharetta and was listed in critical condition, KFDW-TV reported.

Lockridge said Tuesday that it was unclear what criminal charges, if any, would be filed.

“It’s too early to say,” he told reporters.