PHOTOS: Texas Teen Luke Garrett Resecker Sentenced to 65 Years for Deadly Head-On Crash That Killed Six, Leaving Sole Survivor Paralyzed

Bounce Nation November 09, 2025
A Texas teenager, Luke Garrett Resecker, has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for causing a head-on crash that killed six people — including two children — and left one survivor permanently paralyzed. The devastating collision occurred on December 26, 2023, in Johnson County, when Resecker, then 17, was driving under the influence of THC and veered into oncoming traffic. Prosecutors said Resecker crossed the center line of the highway around 4 p.m. and slammed his Chevy Silverado into a Honda Odyssey minivan carrying members of a Georgia family who had spent the day visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in nearby Glen Rose. The impact killed six of the seven people in the minivan and left the only survivor, Lokesh Potabathula, paralyzed from the waist down. Lokesh lost nearly his entire family in the crash, including his wife Naveena Potabathula, 36; their two young children Krithik, 10, and Nishidha, 9; as well as relatives Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and Rushil Barri, 28, who was driving the vehicle. Barri was from Irving, Texas, while the rest of the victims were residents of Alpharetta, Georgia. Resecker’s passenger, Preston Glass, also 17, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired. Investigators found THC wax, a vape pen, and marijuana inside Resecker’s truck, and toxicology tests later confirmed active THC in his system at the time of the crash. Initially charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana, Resecker faced a week-long trial in Johnson County earlier this year. Prosecutors Connor Day and Stephanie Miller described the tragedy as “a sobering reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless driving.” During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Miller read aloud the names of each victim, saying: “Justice for Rushil. Justice for Naveena. Justice for Nageswararao. Justice for Sitamahalakshmi. Justice for Krithik. Justice for Nishidha. Justice for Lokesh — and justice for this community.” After hearing testimony from crash investigators, medical experts, and the victims’ families, the jury deliberated only a few hours before delivering the guilty verdict. The 19-year-old was sentenced to 65 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, a punishment prosecutors said reflects both the enormity of the loss and Resecker’s reckless disregard for human life.A Texas teenager, Luke Garrett Resecker, has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for causing a head-on crash that killed six people — including two children — and left one survivor permanently paralyzed. The devastating collision occurred on December 26, 2023, in Johnson County, when Resecker, then 17, was driving under the influence of THC and veered into oncoming traffic. Prosecutors said Resecker crossed the center line of the highway around 4 p.m. and slammed his Chevy Silverado into a Honda Odyssey minivan carrying members of a Georgia family who had spent the day visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in nearby Glen Rose. The impact killed six of the seven people in the minivan and left the only survivor, Lokesh Potabathula, paralyzed from the waist down. Lokesh lost nearly his entire family in the crash, including his wife Naveena Potabathula, 36; their two young children Krithik, 10, and Nishidha, 9; as well as relatives Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and Rushil Barri, 28, who was driving the vehicle. Barri was from Irving, Texas, while the rest of the victims were residents of Alpharetta, Georgia. Resecker’s passenger, Preston Glass, also 17, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired. Investigators found THC wax, a vape pen, and marijuana inside Resecker’s truck, and toxicology tests later confirmed active THC in his system at the time of the crash. Initially charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana, Resecker faced a week-long trial in Johnson County earlier this year. Prosecutors Connor Day and Stephanie Miller described the tragedy as “a sobering reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless driving.” During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Miller read aloud the names of each victim, saying: “Justice for Rushil. Justice for Naveena. Justice for Nageswararao. Justice for Sitamahalakshmi. Justice for Krithik. Justice for Nishidha. Justice for Lokesh — and justice for this community.” After hearing testimony from crash investigators, medical experts, and the victims’ families, the jury deliberated only a few hours before delivering the guilty verdict. The 19-year-old was sentenced to 65 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, a punishment prosecutors said reflects both the enormity of the loss and Resecker’s reckless disregard for human life.

A Texas teenager, Luke Garrett Resecker, has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for causing a head-on crash that killed six people — including two children — and left one survivor permanently paralyzed. The devastating collision occurred on December 26, 2023, in Johnson County, when Resecker, then 17, was driving under the influence of THC and veered into oncoming traffic.

Prosecutors said Resecker crossed the center line of the highway around 4 p.m. and slammed his Chevy Silverado into a Honda Odyssey minivan carrying members of a Georgia family who had spent the day visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in nearby Glen Rose. The impact killed six of the seven people in the minivan and left the only survivor, Lokesh Potabathula, paralyzed from the waist down.

Lokesh lost nearly his entire family in the crash, including his wife Naveena Potabathula, 36; their two young children Krithik, 10, and Nishidha, 9; as well as relatives Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; and Rushil Barri, 28, who was driving the vehicle. Barri was from Irving, Texas, while the rest of the victims were residents of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Texas Teen Luke Garrett Resecker Sentenced to 65 Years for Deadly Head-On Crash That Killed Six, Leaving Sole Survivor Paralyzed

Resecker’s passenger, Preston Glass, also 17, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired. Investigators found THC wax, a vape pen, and marijuana inside Resecker’s truck, and toxicology tests later confirmed active THC in his system at the time of the crash.

Initially charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana, Resecker faced a week-long trial in Johnson County earlier this year. Prosecutors Connor Day and Stephanie Miller described the tragedy as “a sobering reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless driving.”

During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Miller read aloud the names of each victim, saying:
“Justice for Rushil. Justice for Naveena. Justice for Nageswararao. Justice for Sitamahalakshmi. Justice for Krithik. Justice for Nishidha. Justice for Lokesh — and justice for this community.”

After hearing testimony from crash investigators, medical experts, and the victims’ families, the jury deliberated only a few hours before delivering the guilty verdict. The 19-year-old was sentenced to 65 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, a punishment prosecutors said reflects both the enormity of the loss and Resecker’s reckless disregard for human life.

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