Child, 13, was illegally driving truck that crashed head-on into University of Southwest golf team bus and killed nine
A 13-YEAR-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people, according to officials.
The truck’s left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said.
A person must be 14 in Texas to start taking classroom courses for a learner’s license and 15 to receive that provisional license to drive with an instructor or licensed adult in the vehicle.
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Victor Taylor said a 13-year-old driving would be breaking the law.
Although it was unclear how fast the two vehicles were traveling, “this was clearly a high-speed collision,” Landsberg said.
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Head coach Tyler James and team member Laci Stone were both killed in the crash, according to reports.
Other students killed in the crash were Mauricio Sanchez, Travis Garcia, Jackson Zinn, Karisa Raines and Tiago Sousa.
Dayton Price and Hayden Underhill were listed in critical condition.
Henrich Siemens, 38, the driver of the other vehicle was also killed in the crash, along with a 13-year-old boy who was with him at the time.
The horror smash happened on Highway 115 in Midland, Texas, just after 8pm local time on Tuesday.
It’s reported that a bus hit a Ford F-150 in Andrews County.
The University of the Southwest, a Christian college based in New Mexico, confirmed victims included members of the university’s men’s and women’s golf teams.
The teams were on their way back from a golf tournament in West Texas.
University president Quint Thurman confirmed that head coach Tyler James had been killed.
He said: “We are still learning the details about the accident but we are devastated and deeply saddened to learn about the loss of our students’ lives and their coach.”
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James reportedly entered his first season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s golf program, according to an online biography.
The University of Southwest told The US Sun the victims’ names will not be released until the investigation is closed.
The school will provide updates on social media as they become available.
Laci’s death was confirmed by her mother on social media, according to News Channel 6.
Nocona ISD Athletics also named the student as it canceled its games as a sign of respect.
“Right now our community is heartbroken over the tragic loss of one of our own,” it wrote on Facebook.
‘Please keep the family of Laci Stone in your prayers!”
STUDENTS HOSPITALIZED
Thurman said two students survived and have been airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock.
When asked by NBC if the two airlifted were the only two to survive in the van, Thurman said: “As far as I know, yes.”
The students were later revealed to be Price and Underhill, who are in critical condition.
Thurman said the vehicle was a 12-passenger van driven by the coach and speculated that he thinks eight students may have been onboard.
Sgt. Steve Blanco, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told NBC: “It’s a very tragic scene.”
He said that both vehicles had suffered “heavy damage.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement in tribute to the victims on Wednesday.
“We grieve with the loved ones of the individuals whose lives were horrifically taken too soon in this fatal vehicle crash near Andrews last night,” Abbott said.
“The Texas Department of Public Safety is working closely with local officials to investigate this accident, and we offer our full support to the University of the Southwest and the state of New Mexico.
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“I ask Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the families of those whose lives were lost and for the recovery of two critically injured students,” he added.
Investigations into the crash remain ongoing.
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