Car Carrying 6 Teens Killed in Crash Rolled Through Stop Sign: Federal Officials

In this photo posted on Facebook provided by the Johnston County Oklahoma Sheriff's Office is the scene of a deadly two-vehicle collision on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, Johnston County Oklahoma Sheriff's Office via AP

The four-seat car that contained six high school-age girls rolled through a stop sign at an intersection in Oklahoma before it was hit by a semi-truck, said federal investigators on Thursday.

“Witnesses reported the (vehicle) made a ‘rolling stop’ at the stop sign and entered (the intersection)” before the collision with the semi that was carrying gravel that left all six teenage girls dead, said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesperson Peter Knudson in a statement.

The statement added: “The combination vehicle then departed the roadway and came to rest in a private driveway on the east side of (route) US 377. As a result of the crash, all six occupants in the Chevy were killed; the truck driver was uninjured.”

Previously, officials said the girls ranged in age from 15 to 17. Their identities were not officially released by local or federal authorities, but family members mourned the girls’ deaths on social media this week.

The teens were identified as Gracie Machado, Brooklyn Triplett, Austin Holt, Madison Robertson, Addison Gratz, and Memory Wilson, said friends and family on social media, according to the Daily Mail and New York Post.

The six girls were traveling in a Chevrolet Spark, a small-size vehicle designed to hold only four people, officials with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol previously said.

Investigators told local media on Wednesday that the car’s 16-year-old driver, a 17-year-old passenger, and two 15-year-old passengers were all pronounced dead scene. A 17-year-old and 15-year-old, the other passengers, were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, they said.

According to the NTSB, a team of investigators is expected to conclude their work a the scene of the crash on March 28.

“A preliminary report providing an overview of the factual information developed at this early point in the investigation is expected within 30 days of the accident,” the federal agency said.

The teens were out on lunch break during the time of the accident, Tishomingo High School Superintendent Bobby Waitman confirmed to local media.

“They were known, they were not just a number,” Waitman said. “They were not just another student. These young people were loved by this community, and their loss is a great one to everyone involved.”

A classmate, Dominique Davis, remembered them fondly.

“They were really cheerful people they always knew how to make people smile when they weren’t really feeling their happiness and if I ever felt down I knew that I could just look for them, they make my day so much better,” Davis said, according to News12.