2 UGA freshmen, Alpharetta High School senior killed in tragic crash

2 UGA freshmen, Alpharetta High School senior killed in crash, 2 others injured

By Christopher King and FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – The teenagers who were killed in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday night on Westside Parkway in Alpharetta have been identified. Two teenagers were killed immediately. The third teenager died on Wednesday, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.

ORIGINAL STORY: 2 dead, 3 injured in single-vehicle crash in Alpharetta on Tuesday night

The teens who died Tuesday night were identified as 18-year-old Aryan Joshi, a senior at Alpharetta High School, and 18-year-old Sriya Avasarala, a freshman at the University of Georgia. Anvi Sharma, who was also 18, passed away Wednesday at the hospital she was taken to. Sharma, a freshman at the University of Georgia, was a passenger in the back of the vehicle.

The crash happened just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday on Westside Parkway near Maxwell Road. Five people were in the car, police said.

Investigators identified the driver as Rithwak Somepalli, an 18-year-old student at Georgia State University. Mohammed Liyakath, an 18-year-old senior at Alpharetta High School, was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Their conditions were not immediately known. Speed may have been a factor in the crash, but that remains under investigation, investigators said.

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Anisha Hadimani could not believe it when she heard the awful news. “I never would’ve thought… it’s a lot,” she said, fighting tears. Avasarala and Joshi were two of her friends.

“He was genuinely one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life,” she said. Hadimani took several classes with Joshi. She says he was caring and selfless. “If you were having a bad day, he would come to you and ask, ‘What’s going on? We can talk about it,’” she recalled.

Hadimani, also a freshman at UGA, says Avasarala was a wonderful young woman. “It really puts things into perspective. This can just happen anywhere at any time to anyone,” she lamented.

The University of Georgia released the following statement: “The University of Georgia community mourns the lives lost in this tragic accident. Our deepest condolences go out to their families and loved ones as they navigate this difficult time. We hope their memories bring comfort and strength to all who knew them.”

According to the U.D. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a total of 3,058 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2021. This is 65% fewer than in 1975 and 11% more than 2020. In 2021, teenagers accounted for 7% of motor vehicle crash deaths and 9% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths. The percentage of crash deaths that were passenger vehicle occupants is lowest for age 13 (55%) and highest for ages 17 and 18 (81%). In 2020, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for females between the ages of 13 and 19 and one of the leading causes for males of the same age.