Crash on Florida spring break trip kills star high school athlete, 2 friends
A spring break car crash near a popular Florida tourist destination left three Massachusetts high school seniors dead and one critically injured on Monday.
Concord-Carlisle High School seniors Jimmy McIntosh and Hannah Wasserman died Monday night after their SUV crashed into a tractor-trailer in Panama City Beach, Florida, according to Boston25. A third student, Maisey O'Donnell, also a senior and a state champion diver, died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in the crash.
A fourth student is in critical condition.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the crash took place on Highway 98 in Inlet Beach, part of Walton County. The four students were in an SUV when it crashed into a tractor-trailer that was executing a U-turn at 9:28 p.m.
Two people in the tractor-trailer were not injured, according to FHP, which is investigating.
"We are very appreciative of the outpouring of love during what is absolutely heartbreaking," Concord-Carlisle Regional School District Superintendent Laurie Hunter said in a statement. "We also appreciate the wish to feel purposeful and not helpless. We are all devastated beyond what we can understand today. I know that the difficult days ahead will be ones we face together.
"Maisey is in the organ donation program as her family hopes that it will give meaning to these meaningless tragedies."
O'Donnell was a two-time state championship diver with plans to attend Williams College in Massachusetts next fall.
"I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process at Williams College!" she said in a September Instagram post. "Thank you so much to my family, friends, and coaches who helped me get to this point."
According to a diving recruiting profile, O'Donnell won MVP, 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Area, 1st Team All-Region, 1st Team All-County and 1st Team All-Conference in 2023.
The Florida Highway Patrol offered its condolences in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
"We recognize this is a very tough time for all that are involved, from the families to the fellow students and the entire community," the statement said.
"The members of the Florida Highway Patrol, being moms, dads, and grandparents themselves, are struggling with the tragedy of such young lives being involved, it's what drives us to do our job with attentiveness and respect. Our hearts are with the families and community as they struggle to cope."
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