Six pupil golfers from a New Mexico school had been killed together with their coach in a fiery collision between the college’s van and a pickup truck in Texas, officers stated Wednesday.
Two different individuals additionally died and two extra college students on the University of the Southwest had been critically injured when the personal college’s Ford van collided head-on with the Dodge 2500 on SH 115 and 1788 about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, NBC News reported.
Tyler James — who was coming into his first season as head coach of the lads’s and ladies’s {golfing} program on the school in Hobbs — was on the wheel of the van on the time of the crash, officers stated.
Freshman Laci Stone, a world enterprise main who graduated from Nocona High School in Texas in 2021, was additionally amongst those that died within the crash, her household siad.
“She has been an absolute ray of sunshine during this short time on earth,” her mom, Chelsi Stone, stated on Facebook. “… We will never be the same after this and we just don’t understand how this happened to our amazing, beautiful, smart, joyful girl.”
The names of the opposite victims had not been launched Wednesday night.
“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,” college president Quint Thurman stated in a press release, in response to NBC News.
“My understanding is that two of our students have survived and have been airlifted to University Hospital in Lubbock with serious injuries,” Thurman stated. “We would ask for prayers for their recovery and for comfort and strength for all of (the) families and friends and students of those whose lives have been lost.”
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Steven Blanco stated the horrific crash occurred on the two-land highway about 9 miles from town of Andrews, northwest of Midland-Odessa.
“For unknown reasons, the Dodge pickup drove into the northbound lane and struck the Ford passenger van head-on. Both vehicles caught fire and burned,” the state company stated in a press release.
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to ship a 12-member “go team,” together with specialists on automobile and motor service elements, to the crash website for accident reconstruction Wednesday, company spokesman Eric Weiss stated.
“We’ll try to find out not only what happened, but why it happened, so we can possibly prevent things like this from happening in the future,” he stated.
The driver of the pickup truck and a passenger had been killed, KWES reported. The college’s Ford Transit van was carrying 9 individuals and towing a field trailer whereas heading again from a golf event in Midland, the place each the ladies’s and males’s groups had been competing.
The Midland College Golf Tournament was canceled after the tragedy.
“All of the players and their coaches from the participating schools met together early this morning,” stated Midland College Athletic Director Forrest Allen, KWES reported.
“We were all shocked to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with USW as they grieve this terrible loss. I have talked with USW’s Athletic Director Steve Appel to let him know that all Midland College athletic team players and coaches are ready to help in any way during this time,” he added.
The accident stays beneath investigation.
“USW is coordinating with Texas DPS to assist with the investigation and public information efforts,” the college stated in a press release. “University administration is communicating with families of the students and coaching staff to provide more information as it becomes available.”
With Post wires
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