MVA patients

Question for neuro nurses who deal with this..
I had a patient come in from a two car head on collision. Pt A and B's car crossed median and hit another car. The second car's occupants were dead on the scene. Patient A was the passenger and my patient. PtA asked about the other vehicle. I simply said I did not know what happened. Later family told ptA and ptA asked again if I had known. PtA's expression could have dropped me. Looked so sad and hurt.

Long story short. How do you deal with situations like this? Is it hippa (the story was in the paper anyway) or is it appropriate to say since pt initiated the questions