A 13 year old driving a pickup truck killed at least nine people after crashing into a transport van carrying members of a New Mexico golf team and a coach.
According to reporting from NBC News, a preliminary investigation into the deadly wreck revealed that the 13 year old was driving a pickup truck with a spare tire in place of its left front tire, which experts now believe was the reason that the truck swerved in front of the van.
During a press conference following the incident, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said that the Texas Department of Public Safety had determined that the child was behind the wheel based on “the identification of the remains in the driver seat following a post-crash fire.”
“It was very clearly a high-speed, head-on collision between two heavy vehicles,” Landsberg stated. “We have literally thousands of pictures that were taken by the various first responders, and there is no question about the force of impact.”
According to reporting from The Blaze:
Authorities announced that six student athletes were killed in the crash, including 26-year-old Tyler James; 22-year-old Jackson Zinn; 21-year-old Karisa Raines; 19-year-old Mauricio Sanchez and Travis Garcia; and 18-year-old Laci Stone and Tiago Sousa. Two other student athletes — 20-year-old Hayden Underhill and 19-year-old Dayton Price — were transported to a local hospital, where they were listed in critical condition as of Thursday evening.
The students and faculty member were returning home from a golf tournament that took place over the weekend.
In addition to the students, an unnamed coach was killed as well as the 13-year-old driver and a 38-year-old passenger in the truck, Henrich Siemens.
The critically injured students were taken by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Lubbock, about 110 miles to the northeast, and their conditions are reportedly improving.
“They are both stable and recovering and every day making more and more progress,” University of the Southwest Provost Ryan Tipton said, speaking about the two injured students.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a post on Facebook that she is “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.
“This is a terrible accident. As we await additional information from authorities, my prayers are with the community and the loved ones of all those involved,” she wrote.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also expressed sympathy.
“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.
WATCH:
