TISHOMINGO, Okla. — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) said six teenage girls were killed in a crash Tuesday afternoon that happened near State Highway 22 (SH-22) and U.S. Highway 377 (US-377) in Tishomingo.
>>>MORE: How you can help the families in Tishomingo who lost their six girls in a car accident
OHP said around 12:20 p.m. a 2015 Chevrolet Spark carrying the six girls collided with a 1994 Peterbilt truck loaded with gravel.
OHP said the dump truck was traveling southbound on US-377 approaching the intersection of SH-22. At the same time, the Chevrolet was headed eastbound on SH-22 approaching US-377. The intersection is controlled by a stop sign regulating traffic on SH-22. The speed limit for US-377 is 50 mph.
OHP said witnesses reported the Chevrolet stopped behind another vehicle at the stop sign but did not itself stop at the stop sign, and it entered US-377 attempting a left turn.
The dump truck hit the front-left of the Chevrolet in the southbound lane, pushing it off the roadway to the southwest. The sump truck then left the road and came to rest in a private driveway on the east side of US-377.
Troopers confirm three of the girls killed were 15, one was 16 and two were 17. They all attended Tishomingo High School. The 16-year-old driving the car along with the other front seat passenger were wearing seatbelts. The girls in the back were not.
The semi was driven by 51-year-old Valendon Burton of Burneyville, Okla. He was wearing a seatbelt and not injured.
The Tishomingo Police Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit investigated the collision.
UPDATE The Highway is opened up. Our prayers are with each of the families involved and our community. This is an...
Posted by Johnston County Oklahoma Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Governor Kevin Stitt told radio partners on the KRMG Morning News with Dan Potter on Wednesday that he was briefed by OHP on the accident.
He said the girls were on their way back from lunch when they were T-boned by a semi.
“I just can’t imagine the grief, and the families, what they’re experiencing right now,” said Stitt. “You kiss your kids and send them off to school and it’s just a normal day, and they never come back. That’s just absolutely devastating for the community.”
Tishomingo Public Schools superintendent Bobby Waitman released a statement, saying the school district is mourning the loss of students.
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Posted by Tishomingo High School on Tuesday, March 22, 2022
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