Four
college softball students were killed in a car crash last night on their
way home from a came after a truck smashed into their bus.
The
young women, members of the North Central Texas College team, had
played a scrimmage against another team when the truck drifted across
the road into their vehicle near Turner Falls, Oklahoma.
Police
say the tractor-trailer drifted across from the northbound to
southbound carriageway of the I-35 around 9pm Friday, killing three
women at the scene.
Impact: The North Central Texas
College's softball team bus was hit by a truck driving through Oklahoma
on the I-35 south of Turner Falls last night, killing four players see more.......
Crash: The softball team, nicknamed the Lady Lions, are pictured above. None of those on the bus have been identified
A
fourth died in hospital. None of the victims has been identified. There
were a total of 16 people on the bus at the time - 15 players and their
coach. It is not clear how many of the girls were injured of how badly.
The
team had earlier played Southern Nazarene University in Bethany,
Oklahoma, and were headed back to campus in Gainesville, Texas.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers said the crash was so bad it took investigators and hour to find the truck after the collision.
is that the semi [truck] was
headed north on I-35 when he departed the roadway and entered the
southbound lanes.
He told The Oklahoman.
'When it impacted the bus, it just kept going and went off the side of
road. ... We knew we had a two-vehicle accident by what we saw at the
scene. ... But it took about an hour before we found the semi.'
s
Emergency: There were 16 people on board the bus last night - 15 players and a coach
Recovery: Highway Patrol investigators
said it took them an hour to find the truck after the crash - pictured
above is its trailer being pulled from a ravine
The
front end of the team van was virtually untouched while the sides of
the vehicle were heavily damaged. The driver's side of the van sustained
the worst damage.
The
softball coach, who was driving the van, declined treatment at the
scene and escaped without serious injury. The truck driver of the was
taken to hospital is expected to survive.
Hampton said: 'Right now, it's being investigated like a homicide.'
Details
of the collision could not be immediately confirmed. Hampton said:
'Something happened to cause [the driver] to depart the roadway and
impact the other vehicle.'An investigation is set to take weeks.
A
Post on the North Central Texas College Facebook page said: 'We ask for
your prayers at this time for our softball team. Their bus has been
involved in an accident in Oklahoma.'
The school is expected to release a statement later today.
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