Officials identified 19-year-old Travis Garcia, 21-year-old Karissa Raines, 19-year-old Mauricio Sanchez, 18-year-old Tiago Sousa, 18-year-old Laci Stone and 22-year-old Jackson Zinn as the victims who lost their lives following a tragic accident Tuesday that claimed the lives of three others and injured two more.
As per the initial information, the fatal two-vehicle crash took place in Andrews County. The preliminary reports showed that a 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that collided with a passenger van head-on, killing nine people.
The reports further revealed that the truck crossed the center line of a Texas highway before slamming into the van, which had members of the University of the Southwest men’s and women’s golf teams. The driver and passenger in the 2007 Dodge pickup truck succumbed to their injuries as a result of the accident.
The driver of the pickup truck was only identified as a 13-year-old child. The incident happened after the left front tire, which was a spare, failed. There was an “extensive” fire in both vehicles due to the collision. However, responders were able to identify the driver by the size of the remains.
In Texas, students can start the classroom portion of drivers’ education when they are 14 years old, but they must be 15 to qualify for a learner’s permit. Six University of the Southwest students and one staff member died in the crash.
The student-athletes were identified as Travis Garcia, Karissa Raines, Mauricio Sanchez, Tiago Sousa, Laci Stone and Jackson Zinn. Officials also confirmed the death of coach who was identified as 26-year-old Tyler James.
Two students identified as 19-year-old Dayton Price and 20-year-old Hayden Underhill received serious injuries in the crash and were flown to a Lubbock hospital. Both students are recovering slowly and one is able to eat.
It was also reported that a large number of the passengers on the van were not buckled up, and at least one passenger was thrown from the vehicle. The NTSB, which is not responsible for any criminal charges, will continue to look into this tragic crash.
The board will make additional recommendations to prevent future crashes. A final report is expected in the next 12 to 18 months. No other information is available.
An investigation is continuing.
March 18, 2022
Source: CBS News
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