A tragic accident in the U.S. has devastated communities both in India and abroad. An Indian family of four was charred to death in a horrific crash on a Texas highway on July 6. The family Sri Venkat Bejugam, his wife Tejaswini Cholleti, and their two young children, Siddarth and Mrida were returning from a road trip to Atlanta when the unimaginable happened.

 

Their SUV collided head-on with a mini-truck driving the wrong way in Greene County, near Dallas. The impact was so powerful that it caused the family’s vehicle to burst into flames instantly. An Indian family of four was tragically charred to death in a horrific head-on collision during a road trip in Dallas. His SUV caught fire, burning beyond identity and the incident became a cause of mourning globally.

 

Firefighters immediately reached the spot, but they could not do much. The bodies were so burnt that DNA testing was required to identify them. His burnt vehicle and some remaining items have now become painful memories of that beautiful family journey, which turned into a frightening and irreparable tragedy.

 

Consular officials from India and several NGOs are now working closely with authorities in Texas to arrange the repatriation of the family’s remains. The community, both in the U.S. and in Hyderabad where the family originally hailed from is in deep shock and mourning.

 

What makes this tragedy even more gut-wrenching is the ordinary joy the family was sharing a summer road trip filled with laughter, memories, and love. That it ended in such devastation has brought renewed attention to highway safety and the dangers of reckless driving.

 

As relatives and friends grieve, they remember a loving couple and two joyful children who had their entire lives ahead of them taken far too soon.