DPS: Possible distracted driver blamed for crash that killed 1 former and 3 current Huntsville ISD students
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (KTRK) -- New details have been revealed in the crash that killed three Huntsville ISD students and one alum Friday night in Bastrop County.
The Texas Department of Public Safety told ABC13 Eyewitness News they were notified about the crash around 9 p.m. Friday.
Four people were killed and one person was injured in the crash on SH 21 at Quarter Horse Loop. The driver is hospitalized in a coma, according to DPS.
The three current students were siblings, according to Huntsville ISD.
In a release from DPS, the driver of the first vehicle failed to control speed and struck the vehicle the students were in.
Authorities believe a cell phone may have been a distraction leading to the crash, as the driver of the first vehicle did not hit the brakes until .6 seconds before the impact.
According to Huntsville ISD, three of the four people killed were current students in the district. The fourth person was a former student.
In a statement from the district, all were traveling with the mother of the siblings to San Antonio to watch an older sibling perform with the Huntsville High School Grenadier Guard Drill Team at a National competition.
The victims' names and ages have not been released.
DPS said the driver of the first vehicle and their passenger did not suffer injuries.
The school district said they are arranging counseling teams, which will be available at all campuses for the students impacted by the crash.
Huntsville ISD released the following statement:
The Huntsville ISD community is deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of three of our students and one former student as a result of a car accident that occurred in Bastrop County late Friday evening. The three HISD students were siblings: an 11th grader at Huntsville High School, an 8th grader at Mance Park Middle School and a 6th grader at Huntsville Intermediate School. The former student was a 2018 graduate of Huntsville High School and family friend.
The district said a family friend has established a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of funeral services.
