WRECKED FAMILY OUTING: Horrific crash kills family of 4 after truck rams into their car after running stop sign
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: A horrific crash killed a family of four after a tractor trailer ran a stop sign and slammed into their vehicle, according to authorities. The driver of the truck said that his brakes had failed, which led to the crash on Interstate 17 in Arizona on Sunday, September 18.
The crash killed parents Gnanappan Nagarajan, 54, and Vijaya Lakshmi-Gopal, 45, along with their two sons, 24-year-old Athish Nagarajan and 23-year-old Dhinesh Nagarajan. Both vehicles caught fire and went up in flames.
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According to Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves, the parents were visiting Sedona from India to see their sons. Bart said, “that’s especially heartbreaking - they were on a family outing when this occurred.” All four were declared dead at the scene.
As per the Sun, the crash sent them flying from the road, with the truck landing on top of the family’s car. An investigation of the accident is ongoing, however, authorities don’t believe impaired driving was a factor.
A friend of Athish Nagaraja described him as a one-of-a-kind, talented person who had big things in store for him. He worked at Lucid Motors and had quickly earned a promotion within the company, working as a global supply manager. The brothers resided in Tempe while their family lived abroad in India.
Dhinesh, the younger brother, was a musician and an RA at Arizona State University. His friend Lily Rich told 12News, “Dhinesh was so selfless,” adding, “my memories are so special with him. My freshman year at ASU would not have been as amazing if I hadn't met him.”
She said that Dhinesh made her feel at home. Lily said, “I’m from Missouri, so traveling to Arizona and starting college is hard and scary, and having that somebody, like I felt like I could go to him at all times, and Dhinesh made it so clear he was a friend to us.” Quinne Talbot, another friend said that Dhinesh would frequently help her with schoolwork and was always someone she could talk to. She said she last saw him a few weeks ago while on campus. Quinne said, "he was very talented, a genuine soul," adding, "it breaks my heart that he's no longer with us, but he's watching over us."
Meanwhile, in a seperate incident, three members of the same family lost their lives in a tragic car accident while on holiday in Italy. Britons Antonino Marsala, 40, his wife Raffaella Marsala, 32, and their son Lorenzo, 15, were involved in a road collision in Piedmont, located northwest of the country.
The accident occurred on the Ivrea-Santhià link road that connects the A4 Turin-Milan motorway with the A5 Turin-Aosta, on the border between the provinces of Biella and Turin. Two cars were involved in the crash, a Toyota Yaris and a Fiat Panda, which ended up on the side of the road.