ANDREWS COUNTY, Texas — A college athlete from the San Antonio area was killed after the van in which he was riding collided with a pickup truck in West Texas on Tuesday night.
A total of nine people died in the fiery, head-on crash, including six students and a coach from a New Mexico university who were returning home from a golf tournament, authorities said.
Travis Garcia, a 2021 Pleasanton High School graduate, was killed in the crash, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Pleasanton Independent School District's Athletic Director Tab Dumont released the following statement:
"The whole Pleasanton ISD community in shock and grieving for the entire family. Not only was Travis a phenomenal golfer and great kid, he comes from a great family. His mother used to work in the district and Travis was doing great things in college and in life. Our prayers go out to Travis, his family and the entire team at his university."
A pickup truck crossed the center line of a two-lane road in Andrews County, about 30 miles east of the New Mexico state line, and crashed into the van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men's and women's golf teams, said Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Two students were taken in critical condition by helicopter to a hospital in Lubbock, about 110 miles to the northeast.
“It’s a very tragic scene," Blanco said. "It’s very, very tragic.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement:
"We grieve with the loved ones of the individuals whose lives were horrifically taken too soon in this fatal vehicle crash near Andrews last night. The Texas Department of Public Safety is working closely with local officials to investigate this accident, and we offer our full support to the University of the Southwest and the state of New Mexico. I ask Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the families of those whose lives were lost and for the recovery of two critically injured students."
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a 12-member “go team” to the crash site, including experts in human performance, vehicle and motor carrier factors and accident reconstruction, agency spokesman Eric Weiss said. The team was expected to arrive late Wednesday afternoon or early evening, he said.
The University of the Southwest is a private, Christian college located in Hobbs, New Mexico, near the state’s border with Texas.
The teams were taking part in a tournament at Midland College, about 315 miles west of Dallas.
“We are still learning the details about the accident but we are devastated and deeply saddened to learn about the loss of our students’ lives and their coach,” university president Quint Thurman said in a statement.
The university said on Twitter that it was working to notify family members of those involved in the crash, and that counseling and religious services would be available on campus.
Midland College, which hosted the golf tournament, said Wednesday’s play was canceled because of the crash. Eleven schools were participating in the event.
“All of the players and their coaches from the participating schools met together early this morning,” Midland College athletic director Forrest Allen said in a statement Wednesday. “We were all shocked to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with USW as they grieve this terrible loss.”
The crash happened in the same area — but not the same roadway — where three people were killed in November when a pickup truck crashed into a school bus carrying members of the Andrews High School band.
The high school's band director, the school bus driver and the driver of the pickup truck all died in that crash.