Truck driver uninjured after Oklahoma crash that killed six high-school aged girls

In the aftermath of a horror collision in Oklahoma that killed six teens girls who were packed into a car that only seated four, several of the victims and the driver of the tractor trailer that collided with them been identified. 

The truck driver was revealed Wednesday as Valendon Burton, 51, a rock hauler and doting grandfather who hit their car as it was apparently performing a U-turn across his lane on a rural highway near Tishomingo. 

One of the victims in the small passenger vehicle that was destroyed in the crash was identified by family as Gracie Machado. Her sister Sadie Machado posted a photo on Facebook of herself with Gracie with the caption, ‘my bestfriend’ and a broken heart emoji. 

Friends and family identified another victim as Brooklyn Triplett, a cheerleader and avid softball player. 

‘Brooklyn was an amazing kid, she loved her family and friends wholeheartedly,’ read a tribute on a GoFundMe campaign for the family. ‘She was a loyal friend and one hell of a ball player! She will be missed deeply by our family.’

Austin Holt, who was active in Future Farmers of America enjoyed showing her prize hogs, was confirmed as another victim of the crash by relative Natalie Houston. ‘She was a gorgeous intelligent young lady taken way to soon for reasons unknown to me,’ Houston wrote on Facebook.

The six high school students were packed into a small, 2015 Chevy Spark with just four seats – and only the two teenaged girls riding in the front seat were wearing seatbelts, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Wednesday. 

The six girls were all students of Tishomingo Public School, according to the district’s superintendent. The driver was 16 years old, three of the other girls were 15 and the other two passengers were both 17.

Four of the girls, including the driver, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to the OHP report. The other two girls died after being transported to the hospital.     

The semi-truck driver, identified Wednesday by troopers as Valendon Burton, 51, was also wearing a seatbelt during the crash. He was not injured and no charges have been filed

The driver of the truck, Burton, was also a volunteer firefighter and posted recently about the situation in Ukraine, adding that he was praying for a speedy resolution to the conflict. 

Burton was wearing a seatbelt at the time and was not injured as a result of the crash. No charges have yet been filed. 

OHP said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon: ‘Our Traffic Homicide Unit is conducting a thorough investigation that could last weeks… Any loss of life is tragic and we will continue to thoroughly investigate.’

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved and the entire community,’ the statement added. 

Country music star Blake Shelton, who is originally from Tishamingo, issued a statement saying: ‘In the wake of yesterday’s unthinkable crash in our small town of Tishamingo, we as a community have all been in shock and broken hearted.’

‘I personally have known the devastation of suddenly losing a loved one in a car accident. But our community is strong and has come together to 

On Wednesday, one day after the crash, classes did resume in the Tishomingo Public School district, which has about 850 students, said 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.

Waitman said funerals for the students were not yet scheduled. A community candlelight vigil for the young victims is scheduled for 7pm on Friday at the Tishomingo High School football field.

The circumstances of the crash on Tuesday remain under investigation, but troopers say it’s believed the Chevy Spark attempted a U-turn and were struck by the semi which was approaching from the east on U.S. 377

The two vehicles collided around 12.19pm on Tuesday at the intersection of U.S. 377 and Oklahoma 22 in Tishomingo, a rural city of about 3,000 located about 115 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.   

Troopers said the girls’ vehicle was traveling eastbound on Oklahoma 22 and stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of U.S. 377 just before 12:30 p.m.

OHP Trooper Shelby Humphrey said Tuesday night that the girls attempted to make a U-turn at the intersection, which maps show is at the end of a 90-degree curve of U.S. 377 from east to south.

The girls’ car was struck by the semi which was approaching from the east on U.S. 377, KXII-TV reported.

The force of the crash moved the car about approximately 300 feet from the intersection, KXII-TV reported, leaving it in a mangled mess with doors and ripped off.   

According to the crash report released by OHP on Wednesday morning, the circumstances of the wreck remain under investigation. 

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team, according to NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson. 

Burton was also a volunteer firefighter and posted recently about the situation in Ukraine, adding that he was praying for a speedy resolution to the conflict

While what led to the crash is unknown, it highlighted concerns of teenagers carrying carloads of other young passengers.

‘Just adding a single passenger under age 21 increases the risk of crashing by 44 percent’ when the driver is a teen, said William Van Tassel with AAA´s national office.

‘One of the main concerns and risks of having multiple teenagers in a car is the distractions that come with that,’ Van Tassel said. 

‘If one of the passengers is over 35 (the risk) goes down by 62 percent. That implies teens can drive safely when there´s an adult in the car,’ Van Tassel told The Associated Press. 

The crash report, released Wednesday morning, said the circumstances of the wreck remained under investigation. But Highway Patrol Trooper Shelby Humphrey said Tuesday night that the girls’ car was making a right U-turn when it collided with the truck.

Only the 16-year-old driver and front-seat passenger were wearing seat belts when the 2015 Chevrolet Spark collided with the truck, according to the Highway Patrol.

The car was totaled from the collision, which happened around 12:30 p.m. in Tishomingo, which is about 100 miles southwest of Oklahoma City

‘The unbelted people put everyone at risk,’ Van Tessel said. ‘In a crash, the unbuckled people fly around all over the place,’ injuring others inside the vehicle.

Oklahoma is the only state where passengers who more than 7 years old and in the back seat of a car do not have to wear a seat belt, said Leslie Gamble, the manger of public and government relations for AAA-Oklahoma.

‘A 41-member coalition of traffic safety advocates has pushed for a bill to be passed by our state legislators for the past three years without success,’ Gamble said 

Tishomingo Public School Superintendent Bobby Waitman confirmed the loss of the girls on Facebook, saying the district has ‘suffered a great loss.’

‘Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving with our students and staff,’ Waitman wrote.     

Family, friends and the community posted condolences on social media, while others inquired about additional details of the crash. 

The 2015 Chevy Spark and the semi collided around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of U.S. 377 and Oklahoma 22 in Johnston County 

Images from the scene of the crash from KFOR showed a Chevy Spark with what appears to be a pink steering wheel among the rubble

But some heartless online commenters posted scathing messages on the victims’ social media accounts, ripping into to them for not wearing seat belts. 

One user wrote, ‘Where was yo seatbelt at?’ and included a laughing crying emoji. The same account commented again, saying ‘Why u didn’t wear a seatbelt? It’s kinda hard to feel bad for u’ along with a hand over face emoji. Another user wrote, ‘If you woulda had a seatbelt on this wouldn’t of turned out that way.’

Their comments were met with backlash from the victims’ loved ones and the community who slammed them for making such comments during the heartbreaking time. 

It is not clear if the commenters knew the victims.  

The semi truck that collided with the car carrying the six teenage girls who were killed in the crash

Scene of accident where six high school students who died in a crash with a semi-truck on Tuesday

Tishomingo Public Schools closed early Tuesday for weather, but was back open on Wednesday to focus on the emotional well-being of the student body, Waitman said in a statement. 

‘We feel it is imperative that we inform you that our district has suffered a great loss today involving high school students. Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving with our students and staff,’ Waitman wrote.

He added that counselors would be available to students through the day and evening.

Images from the horrific scene of the crash from KFOR showed a virtually destroyed black car with what appeared to be a pink steering wheel among the rubble.    

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office posted Tuesday afternoon.

‘Our prayers are with each of the families involved and our community,’ they wrote in a Facebook post. ‘This is an absolute tragedy which will have life long effects. This community and families need our support and prayers at this time.’

Tishomingo is the county seat of Johnston County, with a population just over 3,000 people.

Tishomingo Public Schools confirmed the loss of the girls on social media with an address to the parents and community, saying the district has ‘suffered a great loss.’

The intersection connects US Highways 377 and 22 in Tishomingo, Oklahoma

Tishomingo High School is pictured. The Tishomingo Public School District confirmed the girls’ deaths