HOBBS, N.M. — 9 folks have died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, together with six New Mexico college college students and a coach coming back from a golf match, in addition to a 13-year-old boy, 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 crucial situation.
A pickup truck crossed the middle line of a two-lane street in Andrews County, about 30 miles 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.
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 Middle in Lubbock, about 110 miles 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 a giant a part of life for some time, however his true ardour is golf,” Drew Underhill mentioned. “From a small city in Ontario, he is doing OK.”
The Mexican Federation of Golf posted an internet observe of condolence to the family members of Mauricio Sanchez.
Stone’s mom 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 are going to by no means be the identical after this and we simply do not perceive how this occurred to our superb, stunning, good, joyful woman.”
Stone graduated in 2021 from Nocona Excessive Faculty, the place she performed golf, volleyball and softball. She was a freshman majoring in international enterprise administration, in accordance with her biography on the golf workforce’s web site.
James’ mom, June James, mentioned she knew little concerning the circumstances of the collision. He coached the lads and the ladies.
“We do not know what occurred. It is an enormous investigation. We haven’t any thought as of but,” James mentioned throughout a short telephone interview.
Workforce 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.
“We knew all these folks on board,” Tonya Collum mentioned. “Principally the entire workforce is gone or within the hospital.”
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board was sending an investigative workforce to the crash website Wednesday, spokesman Eric Weiss mentioned.
The golf workforce 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. They collided on a two-lane asphalt freeway the place the velocity restrict is 75 mph, although investigators haven’t but decided how briskly both car was touring, he mentioned.
The College of the Southwest is a non-public, Christian faculty positioned in Hobbs, New Mexico, close to the state line with Texas.
A memorial was arrange Wednesday on the course close to campus the place the workforce practices. There have been flowers, golf balls and a hand-crafted signal with a cross and the initials USW.
“It is the very least we may to for the gamers, and naturally Coach James,” mentioned Rockwind Neighborhood Hyperlinks Supervisor Ben Kirkes.
“These youngsters have been nice youngsters they usually have been nice, nice neighborhood members,” mentioned Kirkes.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham mentioned on Fb that she is “deeply saddened” by the lack of life.
“This can be a horrible accident. As we await further info from authorities, my prayers are with the neighborhood and the family members of all these concerned,” she mentioned.
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 evening,” Abbott mentioned.
The groups had been participating in a golf match at Midland School, about 315 miles west of Dallas.
“We’re nonetheless studying the small print concerning the accident however we’re devastated and deeply saddened to study concerning the lack of our college students’ lives and their coach,” College President Quint Thurman mentioned in an announcement.
The college mentioned on Twitter that counseling and spiritual companies could be accessible on campus.
Midland School mentioned Wednesday’s play could be canceled due to the crash. Eleven colleges have been collaborating within the occasion.
“All the gamers and their coaches from the collaborating colleges met collectively early this morning,” Midland School athletic director Forrest Allen mentioned in an announcement Wednesday. “We have been all shocked to study of this tragedy, and our ideas and prayers are with USW as they grieve this horrible loss.”
