Two UGA freshmen killed in crash in Alpharetta

Two of the three teenagers killed in a Tuesday car crash in Alpharetta have been identified as students at the University of Georgia. Anvi Sharma and Sriya Avasarala were both 18 years old, both freshmen at UGA. Aryan Joshi, also 18 years old, was a senior at Alpharetta High School. Two more people involved in the accident in Alpharetta remain hospitalized.

From WSB TV…

A third victim of a crash that initially killed two 18-year-olds has now died.

The crash happened in the area of Westside Parkway near Maxwell Road to Hembree Road around 8p.m. Tuesday. Five people were in the car. Two were pronounced dead at the scene.

The M.E. identified the two people killed at the scene as Aryan Joshi and Sriya Avasarala, both 18.

Avasarala was a freshman at the University of Georgia studying pre-med, according to records. A family member who did not want to speak on camera said she was a member of a dance team at UGA.

Joshi was a senior at Alpharetta High School.

On Wednesday, the ME announced that a third victim of the crash, 18-year-old Anvi Sharma, died at the hospital. The Medical Exminer’s office initially said it was believed Sharma was the driver.

Alpharetta Police later clarified that Sharma was actually a passenger in the rear of the vehicle.

Sharma was also a freshman at UGA.

Two more people who were injured in the crash remain hospitalized.

Police identified them as Rithwak Somepalli, a University of Georgia student who was also the driver. The second person who was injured has been identified as Mohammad Liyakath, who was also a senior at Alpharetta High School.

Police said the initial investigation suggests speed was a factor in the crash. Police believe Somepalli lost control and the vehicle flipped and landed upside-down in the tree line.

It’s unclear if Somepalli is facin gany charges.

School counselors were available at Alpharetta High School Wednesday, according to a teacher and parents who called Channel 2 Action News.

The school sent a letter to parents, reading, in part:

“When events such as this happen, youth react in different ways.  You may see your child feeling sad, upset, angry, shocked, or numb.  For some students, a death of someone they know may remind them of some other loss in their lives. For others, this may be their first encounter with death.”

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims was at the scene Wednesday, where investigators returned to the scene. Shattered glass and debris still littered the roadside.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

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