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9 individuals have died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, together with six college students and a coach from a New Mexico college who have been returning dwelling from a golf match, authorities mentioned.
These killed within the Tuesday night crash included College of the Southwest college students from Portugal and Mexico. Two Canadian college students have been hospitalized in important situation
A pickup truck crossed the middle line of a two-lane street in Andrews County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico state line and crashed right into a van carrying members of the college’s males’s and girls’s golf groups, mentioned Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Division of Public Security.
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The state company later recognized the deceased as: Golf coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico; and gamers 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; and Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal.
Additionally killed have been Henrich Siemans, 38, of Seminole County, Texas, and an unidentified 13-year-old boy who had been touring with him within the 2007 Dodge 2500 pickup.
Critically injured aboard the van have been Canadian college students Dayton Value, 19, of Mississauga, Ontario, and Hayden Underhill, 20, of Amherstview. Ontario. Each have been taken by helicopter to the College Medical Heart in Lubbock, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) to the northeast.
Underhill’s brother Drew mentioned their dad and mom, Ken and Wendy, have been on a airplane headed to Texas.
“Hockey was an enormous a part of life for some time, however his true ardour is golf,” Drew Underhill mentioned. “From a small city in Ontario, he’s doing OK.”
The Mexican Federation of Golf posted a web-based be aware of condolence to the family members of Mauricio Sanchez.
The mom of freshman Laci Stone wrote of her loss on Fb Wednesday.
“She has been an absolute ray of sunshine throughout this brief time on earth,” Chelsi Stone mentioned in a publish. “? We’ll by no means be the identical after this and we simply don’t perceive how this occurred to our wonderful, stunning, good, joyful lady.”
Laci Stone graduated in 2021 from Nocona Excessive College, the place she performed golf, volleyball and softball. She was majoring in international enterprise administration, in response to her biography on the golf staff’s web site.
Tyler James’ mom, June James, mentioned she knew little in regards to the circumstances of the accident. He coached the boys and the ladies.
“We don’t know what occurred. It’s an enormous investigation. We don’t have any thought as of but,” James mentioned throughout a short telephone interview. “That is type of a shock.”
Group member Jasmin Collum had been scheduled to play however on the final minute determined as a substitute to go to her dad and mom in Houston, her mom mentioned.
“I instructed her God has a plan for her and that’s why she’s OK,” Tonya Collum mentioned. “We knew all these individuals on board. Mainly the entire staff is gone or within the hospital.”
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board was sending an investigative staff to the crash web site Wednesday, spokesman Eric Weiss mentioned.
The golf staff was touring in a 2017 Ford Transit van that was towing a field trailer when it collided with the truck, and each autos burst into flames, Weiss mentioned. It occurred on a two-lane asphalt freeway the place the velocity restrict is 75 mph (120 kph), although investigators haven’t but decided how briskly both car was touring, he mentioned.
The College of the Southwest is a personal, Christian faculty situated in Hobbs, New Mexico, close to the state’s border with Texas.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham mentioned on Fb that she is “deeply saddened” by the lack of life.
“It is a horrible accident. As we await extra data from authorities, my prayers are with the group and the family members of all these concerned,” she mentioned.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott additionally expressed sympathy.
“We grieve with the family members of the people whose lives have been horrifically taken too quickly on this deadly car crash close to Andrews final night time,” Abbott mentioned.
The groups had been collaborating in a golf match at Midland Faculty, about 315 miles (505 kilometers) west of Dallas.
“We’re nonetheless studying the main points in regards to the accident however we’re devastated and deeply saddened to be taught in regards to the lack of our college students’ lives and their coach,” College President Quint Thurman mentioned in a press release.
The college mentioned on Twitter that counseling and spiritual companies could be out there on campus.
Midland Faculty, which hosted the golf match, mentioned Wednesday’s play could be canceled due to the crash. Eleven colleges have been taking part within the occasion.
“All the gamers and their coaches from the taking part colleges met collectively early this morning,” Midland Faculty athletic director Forrest Allen mentioned in a press release Wednesday. “We have been all shocked to be taught of this tragedy, and our ideas and prayers are with USW as they grieve this horrible loss.”
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Bleed reported from Little Rock, Arkansas, and Snow reported from Phoenix. Related Press writers Jake Bleiberg and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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