The recent deaths of six family members in a collision Tuesday on U.S. Highway 67 in Johnson County have led to renewed calls for authorities to address dangerous driving along this infamous stretch.
A head-on crash between a pickup truck and a minivan occurred on a two-lane stretch of highway near County Road 1119 that locals reportedly refer to as “death highway” on December 26.
Although Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. William Lockridge told NBC 5 DFW that the accident is still under investigation, residents of the area were very quick to flag several safety concerns in its aftermath.
“When you get past 1119, [the ‘death highway’ stretch] 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,” explained resident Laurel Ball, according to WFAA.
“Really it’s a dangerous highway, a lot of accidents been happening lately and it’s a busy highway so I feel like something needs to be done,” said another local, Patricia Simmons, who runs the Big Cup Eatery in Glen Rose, according to CBS Texas.
As previously covered in The Dallas Express, of the nine people involved in the recent collision, three were critically injured and six were killed.
Rushil Barri, 28, of Irving had been driving a Honda Odyssey with his family after a trip to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose. Barri’s cousin, Lokesh Potabathula, had been visiting him from Georgia. Lokesh’s wife, 9-year-old son, 10-year-old daughter, 64-year-old father-in-law, and 60-year-old mother-in-law visiting from India also joined him on this trip.
Lokesh is fighting for his life in a Fort Worth hospital, whereas everyone else inside this vehicle died in the collision. Friends, family, and community members are working to have their remains returned to India.
“Our main target is to reunite the lost loved ones with their families back at home,” said Ashok Kolla with the Telugu Association of North America, according to WFAA.
Investigators believe that Barri’s vehicle was struck as it was traveling northbound when a Chevrolet pickup driven by a 17-year-old boy traveling southbound entered his lane to pass in a no-passing zone. Both the teen and his passenger of the same age sustained serious injuries in the collision and are being hospitalized.
“It was a mess,” recalled Chris Snyder, who owns a farm nearby and witnessed the aftermath of the wreck, according to WFAA.
The Texas Department of Transportation proposed back in 2022 to widen the highway to four lanes and add a wide median, but the project has yet to find funding.
Snyder, some of whose private land would be required for the widening project, was skeptical that this would improve matters since he says the danger of the area comes down to “just terrible driving.”
“People are texting as they drive,” he said. “I’ve seen wrecks on straightaways that make no sense.”
“People pass me on the shoulder as I’m coming out here [from 1119],” he added.
Simmons agreed that the solution would be to increase patrols to curb dangerous driving.
“We need more police on that highway because always it’s been a problem, highway 67,” she said.
TxDOT has launched an awareness-building campaign known as #EndTheStreakTX to promote safer driving practices in the Lone Star State overall. Lawmakers also passed several bills this year with a similar aim, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.