The Texas Department of Public Safety has released the names of the nine people killed in a horrific collision Tuesday night in western Texas.
Six members of the University of the Southwest golf teams and their coach were among those who died after a pickup truck collided head-on with their 17-passenger van on the way home from a tournament.
In addition to first-year head coach Tyler James, 26, NewsWest9 of Midland, Texas, reported that DPS identified the following USW students: 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.
The driver of the pickup, Henrick Siemens, 38, died along with his 13-year-old son, whose name has not been released at this time.
The crash occurred about 8:15 p.m. local time Tuesday near Andrews, Texas, the Texas DPS said.
“A Dodge 2500 pickup was traveling southbound on FM 1788. A Ford Transit passenger van registered to the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, NM was traveling northbound on FM 1788,” the Texas DPS said in a statement. The agency had earlier misidentified the truck as a Ford F-150.
We grieve with the loved ones of the individuals whose lives were horrifically taken too soon in the fatal crash near Andrews last night.
Join Cecilia & me in praying for the families of those whose lives were lost & for the recovery of two critically injured students. pic.twitter.com/KQd99qY3Wj
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 16, 2022
Two other members of the golf team, Dayton Price and Hayden Underhill, were taken to hospitals and were reported to be in critical condition.
A GoFundMe account was started by Price’s father, Darren, to help pay the medical costs for Dayton, a freshman from Ontario, Canada. According to the GoFundMe page, Dayton suffered third-degree burns. So far, $83,000 has been raised.
There’s also a fundraising account set up for Underhill, which has already surpassed its $15,000 goal with nearly $43,000 raised.
In addition, the college golf podcast Any Given Tuesday set up a GoFundMe account to benefit the families of the University of the Southwest. So far $36,925 has been raised.
Golf balls adorn a makeshift memorial at the Rockwind Community Links, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Hobbs, New Mexico. The memorial was for student golfers and the coach of University of the Southwest killed in a crash in Texas. (Photo: John Locher/Associated Press)
The University of the Southwest is a private Christian school in Hobbs, New Mexico. The men’s and women’s teams were competing in the TankLogix Collegiate at Ranchland Hills Golf Club in Midland, Texas. The final round of the event was canceled.
“USW is a tight-knit family,” athletic director Steve Appel said in a statement, “and I am confident we will work together to get through this. We have amazing students here, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else to get through something like this.”