Officials: 13-Year-Old Behind of Wheel of Truck in Texas Wreck That Killed 9
A National Transportation Safety Board official said a 13-year-old was driving a pickup truck that collided head-on with a van in an accident that killed nine people Tuesday in Andrews County, Texas, the Associated Press reported.
The crash killed six members of the University of the Southwest golf team, their coach, as well as the unidentified 13-year-old and a 38-year-old man who was traveling with him, according to the AP. Two students survived the crash and were airlifted from the scene.
The AP noted:
One 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.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Bruch Landsberg said the front left tire of the 2007 Dodge 2500 pickup the teen was driving was a spare and blew out before the fatal wreck, according to the AP. The golf team was traveling in a 2017 Ford Transit van with a box trailer in tow.
The crash occurred on Farm Road 1788 in Andrews County, some 30 miles east of the New Mexico state line, per the AP and an NTSB official, whose press conference was shared by WFAA.
The official said:
FM 1788 is a two-lane, two-way, asphalt roadway with a 75 mile an hour speed limit. As the two vehicles approached each other, the dodge veered into the travel lane and collided with the Ford van. The collision was head on and off set to the left. Following the crash, a post crash fire ensued, consuming both vehicles.
“This was clearly a high-speed collision,” Landsberg said, but it is unclear at which speeds both vehicles were traveling.
The University of Southwest has identified the deceased team members as:
- Coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico
- Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico
- Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas
- Jackson Zinn, 22, of Westminster, Colorado
- Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas
- Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona, Texas
- Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portuagl
Two students, Hayden Underhill, 20, and Dayton Price, 19, survived the crash and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, said Provost Dr. Ryan Tipton at a press conference Thursday. Both golfers are from Ontario, Canada.
“They are recovering. They’re making steady progress,” Tipton said.
He went on to add:
It’s a game of inches, and every hour leads to that one step closer to another day, which is one step closer a week, month, year, etc, so there is no indication as to how long its going to take, but they are both stable and recovering, and everyday making more and more progress.
The deceased 38-year-old man traveling with the teen has been identified as Henrich Siemens, of Seminole County, according to the AP.
On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot (R) released a statement on the crash:
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. 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. 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.
Mourners set up a memorial Wednesday at the golf course where the students from the private Christian college practiced, the AP reported. Golf balls, flowers, and a sign depicting a cross were at the memorial.
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