Nine people, including six students and their coach, were killed when a pickup truck collided with a vehicle carrying members of the men's and women's golf teams of the University of the Southwest.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Steven Blanco said in a statement to E! News that the accident occurred on the evening of Tuesday, March 15, on a two-lane road near the city of Andrews in Texas. "For unknown reasons, the Dodge pickup drove into the northbound lane and struck the Ford passenger van head on. Both vehicles caught fire and burned," he said.
Blanco said the driver of the pickup truck and its passenger died, as did seven people in the van—six students and a faculty member, who University of the Southwest President Quint Thurman later confirmed was their coach and driver, Tyler James. Two students in critical condition were airlifted to a hospital, Blanco said. The crash remains under investigation.
"The USW campus community is shocked and saddened today as we mourn the loss of members of our university family," the University of the Southwest, located in Hobbs, N.M., said in a statement. "Last night, the men's and women's golf teams were traveling back to campus from competition in Midland, Texas, when their bus was struck by oncoming traffic. Nine passengers, including the coach, were on the university bus involved in the fatal accident."
The statement continued, "While the accident investigation is still underway, reports indicate that seven passengers aboard the bus were killed in the crash. Two of the passengers are in critical condition undergoing medical treatment in Lubbock, Texas. USW is coordinating with Texas DPS to assist with the investigation and public information efforts. University administration is communicating with families of the students and coaching staff to provide more information as it becomes available."
"We are still learning the details about the accident," Thurman said in a statement to NBC News, "but we are devastated and deeply saddened to learn about the loss of our students' lives and their coach."
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