Posted on 03/17/2022 5:04:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people, including six members of a college golf team and their coach, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Thursday.
The child and a man traveling in the truck also died.
The truck's left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact, said NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg.
The men's and women's golf teams were traveling in a 2017 Ford Transit van that was towing a box trailer when it collided with the truck, and both vehicles burst into flames, according to NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss.
He said the vehicles crashed on a two-lane asphalt highway where the speed limit is 75 mph, though investigators have not yet determined how fast either vehicle was traveling.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
“””NTSB said Thursday that a 13-year-old [Mennonite] boy was driving the pickup truck that hit the van near Andrews, Texas”””
Every once in a while the FReepers get it right in saying that a tragedy was caused by an Amish-—well, somewhat close to Mennonite.
Where are you seeing that this is the father, who allowed his son to drive the truck?
TIA
Head-on collision. Each struck the other.
The link at post 5 has more information.
Thanks for the clarification.
N/M!!
Just saw your post describing this kid as the son.
Hard to imagine a Ram 2500 with a little temporary spare.
Thanks.
This is immensely sad. There’s nobody living who can tell you why the 13-year-old was driving the truck.
Reminds me of the story about 25 years ago when a Russian commercial plane took off for Moscow on a routine trip to Vladivostok. During the long trip, the co-captain decided to bring his teenaged daughter and son into the cockpit so they could see what their father did.
He asked the kids if they wanted to fly the plane themselves, knowing that the plane was under the automatic pilot that would correct for any errors. The daughter tried first and she nervously tried to move the controls but very gently and cautiously.
Then the son, who was a little older, tried next. He’d yank the controls and the auto-pilot would straighten it right back. However, he brushed the autopilot control with one of his turns and it accidentally turned off the autopilot.
There was a brief time when nobody knew what had happened. Soon, the plane spun into a roll. The g-forces were so strong that nobody could reach the controls except the son who was traumatized by the experience. At some point, the real pilots regained control but, still unaware the autopilot was off, watched as it resumed its roll until it corkscrewed into the Siberian mountains. All aboard were killed. It was only the flight recorders which revealed what happened.
Who do you blame? Well, obviously the parent but the parent had paid the ultimate price as did his kin.
Very sad for all involved on the golf team. May they rest in peace.
“He was super smart in that area.”
Not about tires, though.
👍🏻👍🏻
“I’ve seen cars here in New Mexico sporting two at a time.”
I’ve got that beat.
Here in Montgomeradishu (Montgomery AL), I’ve seen locals riding with four of the little donut spares on their cars.
~ MAIL ~
That 13 year old had probably been driving tractors around the farm for ten years, and likely was a stronger and better driver than 90% of city/suburban 20 year olds.
My mom sent me out to change the tire on our 1950s Chevy sedan when I was five. I of course took it for a test drive around our driveway. Getting the flat into the trunk was too much though — had to get some help from the big kids.
A very sad story. Seeing the photos of the dead young people is heartbreaking.
This is speculation on your part.
He said the vehicles crashed on a two-lane asphalt highway where the speed limit is 75 mph
A tractor in an open field moving at 20 mph isn't equivalent to a vehicle on a two lane highway at speeds up to 75 mph.
Interesting re: Russian pilot. Unprofessional (and fatal) to the max.
“This is speculation on your part.”
And you of course have all the facts, and nothing but the facts.
For all any of us know, the van with a large trailer was fish tailing, and the pickup changed lanes to avoid it.
Admit your ignorance, ass.
Sounds like he wound up as overcooked as those eggs.
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