A 13-year-old was driving a pickup truck in Texas Tuesday night when a spare tire at the front of the vehicle failed, causing it to swerve in front of a van filled with college golfers. Nine people died in the accident, including the teen.
“A 13-year-old child was behind the wheel of the pickup,” said National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg during a Thursday press conference provided in full by NBC News 9. He also explained that the left front tire of the vehicle had been replaced by a spare – though not a “donut” emergency tire – which caused the vehicle to pull when it failed.
The NTSB is an independent agency that investigates transportation accidents. It has opened up an investigation into the incident and a report is expected in the coming weeks. Additional data will then be gathered and a full analysis will be available in around 18 months.
While people as young as 14 years old begin driving lessons in Texas, they cannot apply for a learner license until they are 15 years old, per the Texas Department of Public Safety. Department of Public Safety Sgt. Victor Taylor said a 13-year-old driving would be breaking the law, according to FOX 35.
Landsberg said a passenger in the 2007 Dodge pickup also died, as well as the coach of a University of the Southwest golf team died at the scene, along with six members of the New Mexico school’s men’s and women’s golf teams. They were traveling through the Lubbock, Texas, area in a 2017 11-person transit van for a tournament.
An earlier report from NBC News 9 identified the second individual in the truck as Henrich Siemens, 38, of Seminole. Fatalities from the college van included: Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico; Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas; Jackson Zinn, 22, Westminster, Colorado; Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas; Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona Texas and Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal.
“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,” said Tex. Governor Abbott in a statement. “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.”
Another two team members were transported to Lubbock-area hospitals in critical condition. NBC News identified them as Dayton Price, 19, and Hayden Underhill, 20. Investigators believe that a number of the van passengers were not wearing seatbelts and that one passenger was ejected from the vehicle.
The University of the Southwest also released a statement about the crash that said it “is currently attempting to notify family members of those involved in the accident,” and is offering counseling and religious services. There are GoFundMe fundraisers set up for those who would like to donate to people impacted by the crash.
According to Landsberg, there was an “extensive post-crash fire,” and investigators identified the remains at the crash site. He said the posted speed limit was 75 miles per hour and investigators believe both vehicles were traveling at that speed.
“It was definitely a high-speed, head-on collision between two heavy vehicles,” Landsberg said. “We have literally thousands of pictures that were taken by the various first responders. There is no question about the force of impact.”
“We see way too much of this kind of problem,” Landsberg added.
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