2 people from family of 4 killed in Fort Worth wrong-way crash identified, officials say
The medical examiner has identified two people from a family of four who were killed in a wrong-way crash on a Fort Worth highway early Sunday.
Johanna Yoleth Newsome, 29, and Daniel Newsome, 28, died at the scene of the accident on Northwest Loop 820 on Oct. 27, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The two children who police said were in the vehicle with the couple have not been publicly identified.
The family was driving east in the westbound lanes of Northwest Loop 820 around 3:30 a.m. when their Ford Focus struck a pickup occupied by Chelsea Cook, 33, and her fiancé, Evan Ranallo, police said. Cook was killed in the crash, and Ranallo was seriously injured.
The Ford Focus caught fire, and Johanna Newsome, Daniel Newsome and two children were trapped inside, according to police.
Fort Worth Police Department spokesperson Tracy Carter told the Star-Telegram that investigators are still trying to determine why the family was driving the wrong way.
They believe Johanna Newsome was the driver and entered the freeway going the wrong direction at the Azle Avenue exit ramp, Carter said. The Ford Focus continued eastbound in the westbound middle lane until the crash.
According to Carter, a toxicology test on the driver may not be possible because of the damage caused by the fire.
The medical examiner’s website lists Texas as the home address for both Johanna Newsome and Daniel Newsome. A home city was not listed.
Autopsy results for their cause and manner of death are still pending.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact them.
