A 13-year-old boy was driving a pickup truck that collided with a van carrying a Texas college golf team that killed 9 people, authorities said Thursday.
Six members of a New Mexico university golf team and their coach died in the crash, which happened Tuesday night in West Texas, police said.
The 13-year-old boy and his 38-year-old father also perished.
On the evening of the tragedy, the pickup truck they were in swerved into the opposite lane, hitting the van head-on, according to Texas authorities.
Both vehicles then caught fire.
The young teenager was at the wheel at the time of the accident, said Bruce Landsberg, of the National Council of the safety of the American transports, to the local chain KWES TV.
At 13, driving is not allowed in Texas. You have to wait 15 years to obtain an accompanied driving license and thus take the road alongside an adult who holds the licence.
The pickup’s left front tire appears to have burst before the accident, which occurred while the two vehicles were traveling at high speed, Bruce Landsberg said.
Two Canadian students are still hospitalized in critical condition.