Community Chat

[Kachina624]

Nine people died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six students and a coach from a New Mexico university who were returning home from a golf tournament, authorities said.

A pickup truck crossed the center line of a two-lane road in Andrews County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico state line on Tuesday evening and crashed into a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men's and women's golf teams, said Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Six students and a faculty member were killed in the crash along with the driver and a passenger in the pickup truck, Blanco said. Two students were taken in critical condition by helicopter to a hospital in Lubbock, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) to the northeast.

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The National Transportation Safety Board will send a 12-member "go team" to the crash site, including experts in human performance, vehicle and motor carrier factors and accident reconstruction, agency spokesman Eric Weiss said. The team is expected to arrive late Wednesday afternoon or early evening, he said.

"We'll try to find out not only what happened, but why it happened, so we can possibly prevent things like this from happening in the future," he said.

The University of the Southwest is a private, Christian college located in Hobbs, New Mexico, near the state's border with Texas.

This happened on a secondary road, flat as a pancake, without a curve in it, out in the middle of nowhere, Northwest of Midland, Tx.  I used to travel it often.  People typically drive 70-80mph so these vehicles must have had a terrific impact.  So sad to see so many die so young.

[Carolina925]

Horrible accidents like these just hurt my heart. I have a 16 year old nephew who goes away to school and I find myself worrying more and more about his safety and the terrible things that can happen. I know I shouldn't worry and I do believe that worrying is not what I should be doing...just can't help myself. May they rest in peace and may their families and friends find peace.

[Patriot3]

This is just unbelievable!  Prayers for their families!!

[maximillian]

Nine people dead, totaled up.. So sad, especially for the young people-probably good kids-student athletes.  Really though, my heart aches for family and friends of all the victims of this tragedy.  Every once-in-a-while I think about the "randomness" of life; this is an example of that idea. 

[spiderw]

Speeding on any road, highway, street is dangerous.  How very sad for the families of those who died, the heartache they will endure, the pain of grief.  Such a terrible tragedy.

May those who have passed be at peace with God and may the families going through this loss find the strength to get through it.

[HonestLife]

@Kachina624  Wow how awful! I hope the community wrap's their arms around the numerous loved ones who are hurting. Maybe this will wake the area up to changing something. 

[FiddleDeeDee]

The moment I hear about accidents such as this (no bad weather, flat ground, etc), my FIRST thought is booze, followed by texting. 

I wish peace for all those families. So sad.

[Enufstuff]

How terrible! From watching the news, it seems that the highway accidents are worse than ever. So sad for all those families.

[Kachina624]

@spiderw    When you're out in the wide-open spaces, there are typically very high speed limits.  Although straight and flat, this road is very dangerous due to its heavy use by big trucks servicing the many oil wells in the area.

[deepwaterdotter]

Glad to read that the NTSB is investigating what caused this tragedy.  Anything that can be done to prevent accidents like this from happening again will help.  May God rest their souls.