LOS ANGELES (Diya TV) — California has begun 2026 with yet another deadly road accident, renewing concerns about highway safety after a year marked by fatal crashes across the state. An Indian American couple was killed early Sunday when their car was struck head-on by a truck traveling the wrong way, according to multiple reports.
The victims were identified as Krishna Kishore, 45, a software engineer, and his wife, Asha, 40. Authorities said the crash happened in the early morning hours when a truck, allegedly driven by an intoxicated driver, slammed into their vehicle. The couple was traveling with their two children at the time of the collision.
Both adults suffered critical injuries and were later pronounced dead. Emergency responders rushed the children to a nearby hospital, where they remain under treatment. Doctors have not released further details about their condition.
Kishore and Asha were natives of Palakollu, a town in Andhra Pradesh, India. News of their deaths has sent shockwaves through their hometown and the Indian American community in the United States.
Relatives and friends in Palakollu described the family as warm and cheerful. The couple had returned to the United States just 10 days earlier after visiting relatives in India. During their journey back, they spent time in Dubai, where they celebrated the New Year together.
“They were full of life and happiness during their visit,” a family friend said. “This loss is impossible to accept.”
Members of the Telugu community in Washington state and the Telugu Association of North America are working to support the injured children. They are also helping the family with plans to repatriate the couple’s remains to India.
The tragedy comes only days after another fatal crash in California killed two young women from Telangana, India. Meghana Rani Pullakhandam, 25, and Bhavana Kadiyala, 24, were childhood friends from Mahabubabad district. Both had recently earned master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Dayton.
The women lived in Ohio and were searching for jobs when they traveled to California for a vacation. In late December, their car reportedly lost control on a curve along Alabama Hills Road and plunged into a gorge. The Times of India reported that the crash killed both women at the scene. These incidents have heightened fears among Indian nationals and non-resident Indians about road safety in the United States, especially in California.
California faced growing scrutiny throughout 2025 over a rise in deadly roadway incidents. The debate intensified in October after a fatal eight-vehicle crash in Ontario killed three people. That incident involved an undocumented Indian-born truck driver, Jashanpreet Singh.
Around the same time, another deadly crash in Florida drew national attention. The Trump administration said the truck driver involved in that case was also living in the U.S. illegally.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has since raised repeated concerns about commercial driver’s license eligibility. He and President Donald Trump have criticized California’s licensing policies, arguing they may contribute to unsafe driving conditions.
The criticism also followed an August crash in Fort Pierce, Florida. Authorities accused Harjinder Singh, an Indian-born driver, of causing a collision that killed three people. Officials said Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 and later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.
Advocates say the latest California road accident shows that the danger did not end with the new year. Wrong-way driving, drunk driving, and commercial vehicle safety remain major concerns on the state’s highways. As investigations continue into the latest crash, families in India and the United States wait for answers. For many, the focus now remains on the recovery of the injured children and on preventing similar tragedies in the future.
