Four Killed After Semi Crashes Into College Softball Team's Bus

Brooke Deckard, 20, Blue Ridge, Texas

Jaiden Pelton, 20, Telephone, Texas

Meagan Richardson, 19, Wylie, Texas

Katelynn Woodlee, 18, Windom, Texas

I am posting this to remind everyone of the responsibility you accept each and every day you drive your 80,000lb monster down the road. I want it to instill fear in you!

This kind of stuff takes my breath away.

Richard's response is spot on. That is exactly what it needs to do!

Even a second of inattentiveness can end your life and someone else's.

I agree with Daniel 110%. The second this job stops taking your breath away is when you become comfortable and that inattentiveness sets in.

Although it is still unclear what caused this horrible accident, the fact is that 4 beautiful college girls were robbed of their future. They had a long life ahead of them with big plans I am sure.

I hope this post reminds you of how dangerous your job really is. Always stay safe and be careful out there. If you have any shadow of a doubt that you or your environment is becoming unsafe out there, PULL OVER! The life you save could be your own!

~ R.I.P - The victims and their families are in my prayers ~

***UPDATE***

Police: Truck driver says distracted before crash

The driver of an 18-wheel tractor-trailer that collided with a bus and killed four members of a Texas community college softball team told investigators he had been distracted by something in his cabin before the accident, authorities said Sunday.

The truck was northbound on Interstate 35 near Davis, Oklahoma Friday night when it veered across the median and smashed into the bus carrying 15 members of the North Central Texas College women's softball team and driven by their coach.

The truck, driven by Russell Staley, 53, of Saginaw, Texas, continued off the interstate. Staley was treated for injuries and released. There were no charges pending against him.

"He (Staley) said he was distracted by something in the cabin," said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Ronnie Hampton, who declined to say what the distraction was. He said that investigators do not necessarily agree with Staley's explanation. The Highway Patrol will eventually turn over the results of its investigation to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

Hampton also said investigators had obtained search warrants to collect evidence from both the truck and the bus. Besides the deaths, a dozen people were injured in the crash, one of them critically. Oklahoma University Medical Center said the critically-injured player, Bailey Buchanan, 18, was upgraded to stable condition Sunday. Rachel Hitt, 19, remained in fair condition at Norman Regional Hospital, a spokeswoman said.

The team was returning from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. The Texas college is located just south of the Oklahoma border in Gainesville.

Three of the players died at the scene and a fourth died at a hospital in nearby Sulphur, Oklahoma. The four players killed were identified by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as Meagan Richardson, 19, Brooke Deckard, 20, Katelynn Woodlee, 18, and Jaiden Pelton 20. All were from towns in North Texas.

A prayer vigil was scheduled at the college's Gainesville campus Sunday night.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash, said Saturday that Staley was driving for Quickway Transportation of Nashville, Tennessee. The agency scheduled an update on its investigation later Sunday.

According to federal data, Quickway's safety record has been good in recent years.

Records with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that Quickway had not been involved in a fatal accident in at least the past two years through Aug. 22. The company had not faced federal safety-related penalties in at least six years, based on available records. Quickway was registered with 327 trucks and 436 drivers.

The company's out-of-service rate for safety violations — those that would lead a driver to be pulled off the road — was 7.5 percent, below the national average of 20.7 percent, according to FMCSA.

Of 51 violations recorded in the past 24-month period, the highest number — 13 — were for failing to use a seatbelt. There were two instances of using a hand-held mobile device while driving. During that same period, there were no drug or alcohol violations.

Phone messages left Sunday at Quickway and an email sent to its vice president of safety and recruiting were not immediately answered.

Nationally, crashes involving a large truck or bus killed 4,281 people in 2013, little changed from the number of deaths in each of the previous three years.

I-35 is a major artery for truck traffic stretching from Duluth, Minnesota through the middle of the country to the Mexican border with Texas.

It's possible, but not likely, that the truck had some sort of mechanical failure but until the NTSB concludes its investigation, we won't know. Very sad.

This seems like a total accident and clearly not intended by the driver. He wasn't making vulgar comments like that walmart driver did. I hope the victims find it in their heart to forgive this guy and he not get jail time.

If the statement released by the police is true then the driver admitted to be distracted by something in his cab prior to the accident.

So on the face of it the driver is TOTALLY at fault for this accident since he admitted to being distracted....his rig crossed the median therefore causing the accident.

If the statement released by the police is true then the driver admitted to be distracted by something in his cab prior to the accident.

So on the face of it the driver is TOTALLY at fault for this accident since he admitted to being distracted....his rig crossed the median therefore causing the accident.

This is correct, as much as I want to defend this person, I can't. ... F**k

His lack of control killed these women.

Some sources are saying that it was a drink on the passenger side that distracted him, but that has not been widely confirmed. The main issue right now is that there is no sign that the truck driver tried to avoid the crash with the bus.

NBC News:

"NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said during a press briefing Sunday that a preliminary investigation showed the truck continued straight during a part of the highway that had a slight curve, causing it to plow 820 feet through the median. Even after smashing into the driver side of the bus, the truck continued straight for another 300 feet, crossing the southbound lanes and barreling through and uprooting trees, Sumwalt said. Investigators found no indication of skidding, braking or evasive maneuvers, and an initial examination of the truck indicated the brakes were functional, Sumwalt said. Investigators were still trying to download the truck's data recorder, which could show if the brakes were applied."

Definitely heartbreaking and humbling to read. My prayers are with the family.

Anchorman it sounds like this guy was sleep or trying to commit suicide! What do you think?