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Tishomingo crash: Community in shock after 6 school girls killed when their car hit a semi-truck

The girls were reportedly eastbound on Oklahoma 22 when their vehicle was struck by a rock hauler that was approaching from the east on US 377

TISHOMINGO, OKLAHOMA: Authorities confirmed that six high school students were killed in a crash on Tuesday, March 24, after their vehicle had a head-on collision with a semi-truck in Tishomingo, a small city of about 3,000 located 120 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

While the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is yet to release the names of the victims, spokeswoman Sarah Stewart told the New York Times in an email that they were all female students and were traveling in a "small passenger vehicle." The condition of the truck driver was not immediately clear at the time of publication. Stewart said the crash took place at the intersection of US Highway 377 and State Highway 22 at around 12:30 pm.

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Speaking to KXII-TV, of Sherman, Texas, OHP Trooper Shelby Humphrey said the girls were eastbound on Oklahoma 22 when their vehicle was struck by a rock hauler that was approaching from the east on US 377. Humphrey said the girls' vehicle was making a right turn at the intersection when it collided with the truck. Meanwhile, disturbing images from the scene showed a totaled black vehicle with a pink steering wheel visible in the rubble.

As quoted by the Times, Bobby Waitman, the superintendent of Tishomingo Public Schools, said that the six students all attended Tishomingo High School, which has about 240 students and is one of three schools in the district, which also includes a middle school and an elementary school. “This is a community that supports one another,” Waitman said in an interview. “It’s a very close-knit community, so the entire community will be grieving these young people’s loss.” The superintendent said he was awaiting more information about the accident from the highway patrol.

In a letter to parents and community members on Tuesday, Waitman said the school district is mourning the loss of the high school students. “We feel it is imperative that we inform you that our District has suffered a great loss today involving high school students,” Waitman said in the statement. “Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving with our students and staff. We have counselors available to students presently. We also have space prepared at Tishomingo High School with counselors available through the evening.”

Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt expressed his condolences while he was inspecting tornado damage in Kingston. “We just heard about the tragic loss of six teenagers; still getting details; gonna be reaching out to the superintendent. Our hearts are broken with those six families. Just devastating news,” Stitt said, per KFOR. Meanwhile, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media that the highway had been opened to traffic again as of Tuesday afternoon. “Our prayers are with each of the families involved and our community,” they said in a statement. “This is an absolute tragedy which will have lifelong effects. This community and families need our support and prayers at this time.”

The tragedy befell just one week after a 13-year-old boy was driving a pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas, killing a total of nine people. Young Ricky Siemens was driving the pickup truck that veered into a van on Highway 115 in Midland, Texas, and caused a fiery crash that claimed the lives of himself, his father, and all seven occupants of the bus, including six University of Southwest golf players and their coach.