A third member of an Oklahoma high school track and cross-country team died Saturday, about a week after a pickup truck hit six team members who’d just started a practice run.
Moore Public Schools confirmed the death of senior Kolby Crum on its Facebook page. Kolby’s family released a statement through the school district.
“He finished his race in heaven this morning,” the family’s statement read.
Superintendent Robert Romines said in a statement that the school district has “united even more” to support the district family. Moore is a city just south of Oklahoma City.
“Kolby has left his legacy with us—that of kindness, strength and inspiration,” Romines wrote. “I ask that you also continue to support our students who were injured and are physically recuperating.”
The driver of the pickup truck that hit the students, Max Townsend, 57, was arrested about three blocks away immediately after the incident, police said. He is being held in the F. Dewayne Beggs Detention Center in Norman, Oklahoma, on 13 charges, including two charges of manslaughter in the first degree. His bond is set at $1.2 million.
3 Students Dead, 3 Students Being Treated at the Hospital
The students were struck around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, and preliminary information indicates they were on a sidewalk at the time, said Moore police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis.
In addition to Crum, two other students that were hit have died:
- Yuridia Martinez, a sophomore, died of her injuries February 4.
- Rachel Freeman, a senior, died February 3 at the scene.
Freeman intended to sign a collegiate scholarship for cross-country, according to Dustin Horstkoetter, the school district’s safety and security director.
The three injured students are:
- Joseph White, a senior, was released from the hospital on Feb. 6. He suffered several broken bones, a bruised lung, a concussion and a brain bleed, according to CNN affiliate KFOR.
- Shiloh Hutchinson, a junior suffered a broken arm, leg, and ankle, and was released from the hospital on Feb. 6, KFOR reported.
- Ashton Baza, a sophomore who was released from a hospital Feb. 3 after being treated for a broken leg and ankle.
Pickup Truck Driver’s Son Died the Day Before he Hit the Students
Townsend’s 29-year-old son, Max Townsend Jr., died Feb. 2 in a separate crash in Moore, Lewis said.
The younger Townsend’s vehicle “struck a vehicle, ended up hitting a telephone pole, flipping over, which is what” killed him, Lewis said.
After hitting the students on Feb. 3, Townsend was arrested about three blocks away, Lewis said.
“There were signs of impairment due to the … field sobriety test that we gave him, and that was part of the investigation … and why he was arrested,” Police Chief Todd Strickland said last week.
While Townsend faces the 13 charges, they “can and probably will change, especially as conditions change of the victims,” Lewis said.
CNN has reached out to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office to determine if additional charges are being filed, whether Townsend has legal representation and when he will be in court.
