WILLISTON, N.D. - Four Williston, N.D. students were killed Monday in two separate accidents.
"Williston Basin School District #7 is reeling from the loss of four students who were involved in two separate vehicle accidents last night," school officials said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "The sudden loss of our students is an unimaginable tragedy for all, not just for our district, but for our entire community."
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the first crash happened at about 8:17 p.m. when a Dodge pickup truck failed to yield to an oncoming Amtrak train. The train struck the pickup truck, pushed it down the tracks for a short distance before the truck was pushed off the tracks, a press release states.
The driver, a 17-year-old boy, was seriously injured. Two passengers, boys ages 17 and 15, suffered fatal injuries.
The second crash happened on Highway 2 near mile marker 115 at about 11:44 p.m. The patrol said a Chevrolet Silverado was westbound on the highway when the 34-year-old woman driver lost control of the vehicle on ice. The vehicle entered the median and overturned, ejecting all three occupants.
The driver was seriously injured and two passengers, girls ages 12 and 13, died at the scene, the patrol said.
None of the occupants in either crash were wearing seatbelts, the patrol said. No names have been released.
Williston Mayor Howard Klug issued a statement following the fatal accidents.
"Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones affected by this terrible tragedy," the mayor said in the statement released Tuesday. "Our Resource Officers are at the schools and have been instructed to do whatever they can to comfort those affected by this tragedy. We will do whatever we can to support those families, as well as the residents of the City of Williston that are going through this tragedy. We will get through this together, because that's what Williston does. We are a strong community, and we band together to support each other, and that's what we're going to do. As we have more details, we will make sure the public is informed in a timely manner to avoid any rumors or speculation."
