13-Year-Old Was Driving Pickup Truck In Fatal University Golf Team Crash

A 13-year-old boy was driving the pickup truck that collided with a van containing University of Southwest golf students on Tuesday night, it has been revealed.

The fatal crash, where the pickup truck and van collided head-on, left nine dead including six members of the golf team, their coach and both the 13-year-old and passenger in the pickup truck. The golf team were returning to New Mexico after a tournament in Texas.

The crash also left two students critically injured, with both being flown by helicopter to the Universtity Medical Center 110 miles away.

It is illegal for 13-year-olds to drive in Texas, with Department of Public Safety sergeant Victor Taylor confirming that a 13-year-old driving would be breaking the law.

The pickup truck had a spare tire on its left front which blew out prior to the collision, National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bruce Landsberg said, while also admitting that "this was clearly a high-speed collision."

The truck reportedly crossed into the opposite lane onto the two-lane highway in the moments leading up the collision. Investigations are ongoing to retrieve information from the vehicle's recorders.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the dead as: Golf coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico; and players 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.

Henrich Siemens, 38, of Seminole County, Texas, died whilst in the pickup truck as well as the unidentified 13-year-old boy.

The critically injured students, both from Canada, are stable and recovering, University of Southwest provost Ryan Tipson said. They have been identified as Dayton Price, 19, of Mississauga, Ontario, and Hayden Underhill, 20, of Amherstview, Ontario. 

A memorial took place at the golf course where the team is based, with flowers, golf balls and a handmade sign with a cross and the initials USW laid.

A number of tributes have been made on social media, including from Sir Nick Faldo and Nancy Lopez...