North Texas community college brought in counselors to comfort grieving students Saturday and canceled athletic competitions after four women's softball players were killed when an 18-wheel truck veered into oncoming traffic on a major interstate highway and crashed into the side of their team bus.
The collision near Davis, Oklahoma, late Friday badly damaged the driver's side of the North Central Texas College team bus driven by a coach with 15 players aboard as they returned from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, reports CBS Dallas.
In addition to the deaths, two team members remained in hospitals Saturday, one in critical condition. The other nine players were treated and released, along with the coach.
"This is the most traumatic event that NCTC has had in its 90 years of history," North Central Texas College President Brent Wallace said at an emotional news conference Saturday in Gainesville, Texas, about 60 miles south of the crash site on Interstate 35.
The four players killed were identified by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as Meagan Richardson, 19, Brooke Deckard, 20, Katelynn Woodlee, 18, and Jaiden Pelton 20. The women all were from small North Texas towns near the campus.
Three of the players died at the scene and a fourth died at a hospital in nearby Sulphur, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Ronnie Hampton said.
Oklahoma University Medical Center clinical coordinator Darina Shellman said 18-year-old Bailey Buchanan was in critical condition Saturday. Kelly Wells, spokeswoman for Norman Regional Hospital, said 19-year-old Rachel Hitt was listed in fair condition.
The tragedy shocked the close-knit Texas community college of about 10,000 students. Rich Raymond, father of freshman player Emily Kuser, who survived the crash, said many of the girls had been playing together on regional softball travel teams since they were six or seven years old.
"It's just an amazing family of girls and athletes and coaches," Raymond said. "Just such a tight community. And even if your girl isn't going to the school there's a lot of pain right now."
It was not clear why the northbound 18-wheel tractor-trailer lurched across the median into the southbound lanes. Police said they would investigate the accident as if it were a homicide.
Highway Patrol identified the driver as Russell Staley, 53, of Saginaw, Texas. He was treated in hospital and released. Capt. George Brown, spokesman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said there are no charges pending Saturday against Staley.
On Sunday afternoon, the NTSB sent out a tweet stating its investigators found "no evidence of braking or evasive maneuvers by" the 18-wheeler before it slammed into the bus.
Source: ABC News "Texas College Grieves After 4 Killed in Bus Crash". Staff, September 27, 2014
15511 W Highway 71
Suite 110-142
Austin, TX 78738
(512) 477-2001
512-477-3335
© 2024 by Colley Firm P.C All rights reserved.
