ANDREWS, Texas — The National Transportation Safety Board is providing more preliminary information concerning the crash that killed nine people, including a 13-year-old boy and six members of the USW golf team.
According to the NTSB, the 13-year-old boy was behind the wheel of the Dodge 2500 when its left front tire blew.
The tire was a spare, and the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.
When the tire blew, it caused the truck to veer into the van head on.
The NTSB also noted that several of the students in the van were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
USW Van Occupants
One of the van's passengers was ejected from the vehicle.
The NTSB is considering the crash a "mass casualty accident."
While the preliminary crash report is expected to be released in two to three weeks, gathering the rest of the evidence will likely take months as it will involve reconstructing the scene, getting information from the vehicle recorders and interviewing witnesses.