A 13-year-old boy was behind the wheel of a Dodge truck traveling at a high rate of speed on a dark, two-lane highway in west Texas. Heading in the opposite direction was a van filled with young members of the University of the Southwest golf team. They were driving back to Hobbs, N.M., after a tournament in Midland, Texas.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) described the accident that ended the lives of nine people and sent two other students to Lubbock hospitals in critical condition. The front left spare tire on the truck blew suddenly. The teenager could not stop the truck from veering into the path of the van driven by the golf team’s coach. A head-on collision caused a fiery inferno. Seven people in the van were killed, along with the 13-year-old driver and his father, who was also in the truck.
“Various aspects of highway safety have been on the NTSB’s most-wanted list for a number of years: DUI, distracted driving, youthful driving, tire safety, post-crash fire, excess of speed on rural highways, seatbelt use, and ejections,” NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at a press conference. “We’re not here to speculate on the probable cause at this point, nor are we involved in any criminal aspect of this investigation.”
Landsberg said the post-crash condition of the vehicles indicated the accident occurred head-on at high speed, according to KRQE. Some students in the van were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and at least one person was ejected from the vehicle.
The victims aboard the college transit van were identified as: Coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs; Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas; Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas; Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico; Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal; Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona, Texas; and Jackson Zinn, 22, of Westminster, Colo., according to People.com.
Also killed in the crash were Henrich Siemens, 38, of Seminole, Texas, and his 13-year-old son, who has not been identified due to his status as a minor.
The tragic instance of wrong-place wrong-time occurred at approximately 8:17 p.m. Tuesday evening, when the spare tire blew on the 2007 Dodge 2500 pickup truck driven by the 13-year-old. The truck veered into the opposite lane on the two-lane highway, slamming into the van, a 2017 Ford Transit towing a box trailer, according to the NTSB.
The crash took place about 30 miles east of the New Mexico state line, where the speed limit is 75 mph. The teams had been participating in a golf tournament hosted by Midland College at Ranchland Hills Golf Course, according to KSAT. Eleven schools were participating in the tournament, and play was canceled on Wednesday due to the accident.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences by issuing the following statement: "We grieve with the loved ones of the individuals whose lives were horrifically taken too soon in this fatal vehicle crash near Andrews," Abbott said, according to KSAT. "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.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick added, “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the entire University of the Southwest community during this difficult time.”