Texas officials say the pickup truck that hit a van carrying a college golf team Tuesday night, killing at least nine people, was being driven by an unlicensed 13-year-old boy, who was one of the people killed, the New York Times reports.
Six members of the University of the Southwest golf team and a coach were killed when the van they were riding in was hit head on by the pickup truck driven by the boy. The vehicles caught fire upon impact.
Investigators said the unnamed boy and a 38-year-old man named Henrich Siemens were in the pickup when it hit the van. The left front wheel on the pickup was a spare, and it apparently had blown out before the accident. Investigators have not yet uncovered why a 13-year-old was behind the wheel.
Texas law sets the minimum age that a person can get a learners at 15 years old, with 14 year olds allowed to take classroom driver’s education classes.
Two other students from the New Mexico school were in the van, and both suffered critical injuries. School officials say the students’ condition are improving slowly.