'Rolling stop' witnessed before deadly crash with 6 teens in Tishomingo, NTSB says
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) – Witnesses told investigators the teenage driver made a "rolling stop" at a stop sign before a crash that claimed her life and the lives of her five teenage passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
The girls were on a high school lunch break Tuesday in Tishomingo when their small car, a Chevrolet Spark, crashed with a Peterbilt truck hauling gravel. The truck driver was not injured.
The NTSB, in its update Thursday, said witnesses reported the Chevy was heading east on Highway 22 and made a "rolling stop" at a stop sign at the intersection with Highway 377, colliding with the truck on southbound Hwy. 377.
The NTSB said the intersection is controlled by a stop sign for traffic on Hwy. 22. The speed limit on Hwy. 377 is 50 mph there.
Those killed included the 16-year-old driver, three 15-year-olds, and two 17-year-old passengers, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Only the 16-year-old driver and front-seat passenger were wearing seat belts, the OHP said.
Students in the district of about 850 students were in class the day after the crash, Tishomingo Public School Superintendent Bobby Waitman said.
“Academics are secondary, frankly, at this point to the students knowing that they belong, that they have a safe place,” Waitman said.
“You'll never fully understand, I don't think we'll ever fully understand a loss like this," Waitman added.
The girls' names weren't released because they are juveniles.
The NTSB expects to conclude their on-scene work by Monday, with a preliminary report in about a month and a full report in 12-14 months.
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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
