By FOX23 News
TULSA, Okla. — New information has been shared about the crash Monday afternoon that killed a 16-year-old girl on her way back to Tulsa on a school trip with her classmates and a teacher.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), one student is reportedly stable and still in the hospital while the other five Daniel Webster High School students were treated and released Monday night.
OHP said the Webster teacher who was driving the seven students back from a student council convention in Norman had no significant injuries.
According to OHP, a semi-truck was merging onto Interstate 44 from the travel plaza in Chandler while the Tulsa Public Schools Suburban was driving east on the turnpike.
Troopers said two vehicles crashed, causing the TPS Suburban to flip over and eject two students. One of the students, identified as Aleena King, died from her injuries, while the other is now stable at the hospital.
OHP said all passengers were wearing their seatbelts and that the Suburban’s damage compromised the seatbelts, leading to the ejection.
The circumstances leading up to the crash are still under investigation, but OHP reminded all drivers to be aware of their surroundings when traffic is merging onto any highway.
“Anytime we have a merge like that, or when we have traffic coming together, it’s important that all drivers make sure that they’re paying attention to not what’s going on in front of them [and] what’s beside them, and behind them, always scanning their mirrors,” said OHP Lieutenant Mark Southall. “Those are definitely areas that are of concern, but that’s a new area of turnpike. That lane is a long stretch of acceleration lane and then there’s two lanes. If everybody’s doing what we’re really supposed to be doing, we don’t have a crash. So, it’s important that drivers do pay attention at those interchanges.”
This is a devastating tragedy for the Webster High School Community, the TPS community, and the Tulsa community. Cognizant Church, just down the road from the high school in west Tulsa, is holding a community vigil on Wednesday night.
Doors open at 6 p.m., and the church said everyone is welcome to attend.
The loved ones of Aleena, who passed away in this crash, have created a GoFundMe to help support her family as they work to cover funeral and memorial costs, travel expenses for relatives, and general bills.
If you would like to donate to the family, you can do so by clicking here.
