By John Dobberstein, Editor
The driver of the Chevy Spark that collided with a rock hauler Tuesday in Tishomingo failed to stop at a stop sign before turning, the Oklahoma State Patrol said late Thursday.
OHP said a data recorder recovered from the passenger car confirmed witness statements about the tragic crash, which killed 6 Tishomingo High School students who were out on their lunch break.
People magazine, citing interviews with community members and social media posts, said the girls who died were Austin Holt, Brooklyn Triplett, Memory Wilson, Madison Robertson, Gracie Machado and Addison Gratz. All were between 15 and 17 years old.
Valendon Burton, 51, was identified by authorities as the driver of the truck. He was not injured.
Witnesses told investigators that the passenger car, which was eastbound on Highway 22, stopped behind another car at a stop sign at the intersection but did not stop itself at the stop sign before entering U.S. 377 to make a left turn.
Traffic on U.S. 377 has the right of way at the intersection and the posted speed limit is 50 mph.
The Spark — which was carrying 6 girls but only had 4 seats — was struck on the front-left side by a 1994 Peterbilt truck-tractor with a dump semi-trailer loaded with gravel. The collision occurred in the southbound lane of the highway.
OHP said the the girl driving the compact car and the front passenger we’re wearing seatbelts, but the other students were not.
The Tishomingo Police Department requested the OHP’s Traffic Homicide Unit (THU) investigate the collision.
Members documented the scene with ground and aerial photos, and interviews were conducted. THU worked with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner investigators to identify victims and conduct next of kin notifications.
The vehicles were stored indoors, and both vehicles’ post-vehicle collision inspections were conducted, OHP said. The data from the recorder was imaged with a software program, and a report was produced.
A preliminary case review will be submitted to the U.S.Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District for review.
In coordination with OHP, the National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of four investigators and a family assistance specialist to Oklahoma on Wednesday.
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OHP says investigators will now be looking at the following issues:
- The environmental factors involved in a crash, which can include the roadway condition, signage, geometric design of the highway, lighting, weather condition, traffic volumes, and accident histories. The group also evaluates the highway infrastructure for adequacy of roadside barriers and compliance with various design manuals.
- The performance of the human operators involved in the accident and looks at all ‘before-the-accident’ factors that might be involved in human error, including fatigue, medication, alcohol, drugs, medical histories, training, workload, equipment design, and work environment.
- The operations of the driver and motor carrier. This includes an examination of the motor carrier’s compliance to applicable federal and/or state regulations and the oversight of the involved companies by Federal and state authorities. Investigators may also review the carrier’s overall safety culture and related safety programs involving driving operations, fatigue management, vehicle maintenance, and driver fitness for duty.
- Mapping, which includes mapping and documenting the scene and the vehicles involved in the crash and analyzing physical evidence and vehicle damage to reconstruct the crash events.
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