Photo: NewsNation KFOR via AP
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)confirmed in a separate statementthat the car came to a “rolling stop” prior to turning in front of an oncoming semi-truck, described as a 1994 Peterbilt truck-tractor traveling in combination with a semi-trailer filled with gravel.
The truck struck the small Chevrolet carrying the Tishomingo High School students on its front-left side while traveling southbound on Oklahoma State Highway 22, per Oklahoma DPS.
All six girls riding in the Chevroletwere killedin the crash. The truck driver was not injured.
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Tishomingo community members have identified the six girls lost in the crash: Austin Holt, Brooklyn Triplett, Memory Wilson, Madison Robertson, Gracie Machado and Addison Gratz.
The group of students was headed off-campus for lunch when the collision occurred,NBC News reported.
“Our prayers are with each of the families involved and our community. This is an absolute tragedy which will have lifelong effects,” the Johnston County Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook in wake of the tragedy. “This community and families need our support and prayers at this time.”
After the crash, “an event data recorder was removed, with consent, from the Chevrolet Spark,” Oklahoma DPS said Thursday. The data stored on the recorder “was imaged with a software program” and “was consistent with witness statements” regarding the incident.
“A preliminary case review will be submitted to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District for review,” the department said in Thursday’s release.
Both the NTSB and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s Traffic Homicide Unit are investigating the crash.
Tishomingo has a population of about 3,000 and is roughly 120 miles south of Oklahoma City.
source: people.com
