Heinrich Siemens: Dad let son, 13, drive pick-up that caused Texas accident killing 9
Heinrich Siemens allowed his 13-year-old son to take the wheels of a pickup truck that crashed into a bus full of University of Southwest (USW) golfers; the horrible crash on Tuesday, March 15, killed Siemens, 38, his minor son, six of the students in the other vehicle and their coach who was driving it.
The boy was driving illegally, as Texas law requires motorists to be at least 15 years old to receive a provisional license and at least 14 before they can take classes to get a learner’s license. A total of nine people died in the accident - the minor, his father Siemens, college golfers Mauricio Sanchez, 19, Travis Garcia, 19, Jackson Zinn, 22, Karisa Raines, 21, Laci Stone, 18, and Tiago Sousa, 18 and their coach, Tyler James, who was driving the Ford van.
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The 13-year-old was driving the family's Dodge truck when the front left tire, a spare, blew out and caused the vehicle to hurtle down the road at high speed; it crossed the center line into on-coming traffic and slammed into the bus carrying the eight University golfers and their coach.
Two male students, Hayden Underhill and Dayton Price, were pulled from the wreckage of the crash alive and airlifted to hospital.
According to the DailyMail, Siemens was from Mennonite; he was a father of five, including the minor involved in the accident. He and his family were also part of the Mennonite church. Siemens was in the passenger seat while the boy was driving the truck on their way to pick-up a new car, according to authorities and Siemen's wife Aggie Siemen.
National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bruce Landsberg said, “This was clearly a high-speed collision,” adding it was unclear how fast the vehicles were traveling. The cause of the crash has not been determined, but cops have ordered toxicology, and other forensics reports, Sgt Steven Blanco of Texas DPS told The Post. The accident remains under investigation.
Aggie Siemen is mourning the loss of her husband and son in the tragic accident. She posted a tribute photo of the boy and her husband on Facebook, saying that she will miss them. Family members and friends of the six athletes killed on Tuesday remembered them as great kids and community members as tributes continue to pour in.
Local golfers have also set up a memorial at the course where the team practiced. Groundskeepers placed flowers, golf balls and a handmade sign with a Christian cross and the initials USW. There is also a fundraiser to help the victims and their family.