Three Massachusetts high school students, all 18-year-olds, were tragically killed on Monday, April 21, in a Florida car crash. A fourth one, also 18, was left in critical condition. Reportedly, the SUV they were traveling in collided with a tractor-trailer making a U-turn.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The identities of the three deceased high schoolers were revealed by Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter in a Tuesday statement, as per CBS News. As per NBC Boston, Jimmy McIntosh and Hannah Wasserman were pronounced dead at the scene. Maisey O'Donnell and the fourth student were transported to a local hospital. O'Donnell, however, later succumbed to her injuries. All four were Concord-Carlisle High School students.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, April 21. McIntosh was driving the vehicle on U.S. Highway 98 in Walton County. A tractor-trailer started to make a U-turn when the SUV violently crashed into it. As a result of the collision, the SUV transporting the students crossed the median and ended up in a wooded area on the opposite side of the highway.
Investigators revealed that McIntosh was driving while wearing a seatbelt. It is unclear whether Wasserman, O'Donnell, and the fourth unidentified surviving student were wearing seatbelts.
Reportedly, the four Massachusetts high school students were in Florida during spring break vacation.
'Absolutely Heartbreaking'
Superintendent Hunter said during her statement that no action to honor the students will be taken until they have the full consent of the victims' families.
"We are very appreciative of the outpouring of love during what is absolutely heartbreaking," Hunter said. "We also appreciate the wish to feel purposeful and not helpless. At this time, it is most appropriate that no action be taken to honor the students without the full consent of the families and appropriate support for so many young people facing unfathomable loss."
"We are all devastated beyond what we can understand today. I know that the difficult days ahead will be ones we face together," Hunter added. "It's not only that they're dealing with grief, but they're also dealing with the fact that life throws you a lot of really awful curveballs and it's really tough to kind of figure that out."
According to WCVB, O'Donnell was a Massachusetts state diving champion. She planned to attend Williams College next fall. Wasserman was described as "warm-hearted, kind, and always looking out for others" in a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for her funeral and memorial expenses.
The tractor-trailer's 19-year-old driver and passenger were not injured. No charges have been filed as the incident remains under investigation.
