On March 15, 2022, the pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a van carrying college golf teams from New Mexico . Nine people died in the crash, including University golf coach Tyler James, six students, Truck driver Siemens and his son. Two others were also seriously injured. DNA testing confirms the 38-year old man was driving the truck under the influence of methamphetamine. Come down to know everything regarding Texas Crash:
When and how did the accident occur in Texas?
The crash in Texas occurred around 8:15 p.m March 15. on a two-lane road in Andrews County, Texas, roughly 30 miles east of the New Mexico state line. The 2007 Dodge 2500 pickup collided with a 2017 Ford transit van carrying University of the Southwest men’s and women’s golf team players who were returning home from a competition. The ensuing collision caused both vehicles to catch fire and burn.
The crash killed nine people, including University golf coach Tyler James, six students, Siemens, and his son. Two more people were critically hurt.
Who was the truck driver that killed the college golf team, Henrich Siemens or his 13 year old son?
A Texas father, not his 13-year-old son, was driving the truck that struck and killed a van transporting a New Mexico college golf team in March. The NTSB announced on Thursday, July 14, that DNA testing verified the boy’s father, 38-year-old Henrich Siemens, was driving the pickup. Siemens’ blood was also found to contain methamphetamine, according to toxicological testing.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said two days after the March 15 collision that preliminary findings indicated that the 13-year-old boy was driving the pickup truck on a two-lane road in West Texas when it collided with the van carrying the University of the Southwest men’s and women’s teams and coaches.
Who are the victims in the Texas Crash?
The men’s and women’s golf teams from the University of the Southwest were returning to Hobbs, New Mexico after competing in Midland when the crash occurred. Coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico; 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 were among those killed aboard the college van.
Following the incident, two more students, Dayton Price, 19, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Hayden Underhill, 20, of Amherstview, Ontario, Canada, were transferred to nearby Lubbock hospitals. “They are both stable and recovering and every day making more and more progress,” University of the Southwest’s Ryan Tipton said on Thursday.
The teen was a passenger in the pickup, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, and his father, Heinrich Siemens, was the actual driver during the horrific crash 9 miles from Andrews, northwest of Midland-Odessa. The collision on March 15 also killed the boy and his father.
What did the police and government say about the Texas crash?
“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 Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
At the time, USW released a statement that said in part, “The USW campus community is shocked and saddened today as we mourn the loss of members of our university family.” USW provided a link to a fundraiser for the victims’ families.
“In addition to the DNA test results identifying the father as the pickup truck driver, NTSB post-crash toxicological testing revealed the presence of methamphetamine in the pickup truck driver’s blood,” the statement said.
Robert Molloy, a transportation research analyst at the NTSB, told reporters Thursday that the error was made because the vehicles were so badly damaged and burnt. “This was a team decision that at the time they believed the 13-year-old was driving,” he said.