A report from the Florida Highway Patrol revealed that a high school student was driving at around 110 mph when he crashed into a tractor-trailer in Walton County, Florida
The crash, which occurred on April 21, left three students from Concord-Carlisle High School in Massachusetts dead and another in a critical condition
“This car was just going so fast,” a witness to the tragic accident said, adding, “It shouldn’t have happened”
A report from the Florida Highway Patrol is shedding additional light on the tragic crash that left three Massachusetts high school students dead and another in critical condition while they were on a spring break trip to Florida.
On April 21, around 9:30 p.m., Jimmy McIntosh, 18, and Hannah Wasserman, 17, of Concord-Carlisle High School were pronounced dead after a car McIntosh was driving hit a tractor-trailer driving on U.S. Highway 98 in Walton County.
Maisey O’Donnell, 18, another passenger in the car and a fellow student at Concord-Carlisle, subsequently died in the hospital. A fourth passenger, who remains unnamed, was left in critical condition.
Citing the crash report, the Boston Globe reported that McIntosh was driving at speeds of around 110 MPH on the highway, which has a speed limit of 65 MPH.
McIntosh’s car struck the tractor-trailer as it was attempting to execute a U-turn. It was reportedly moving at speeds of around 20 MPH and was driven by 19-year-old Kadyn DeWayne Ainsworth. He and his passenger survived the accident without injury.
After the collision, the car, a Hyundai SUV, went across the highway before coming to rest “in the wood line on the south side of the highway,” per an earlier report from Florida Highway Patrol cited by the outlet.
The Globe noted that McIntosh’s car lost its roof in the accident, citing the new crash report.
Per the report, Ainsworth underwent drug and alcohol testing; however, the results were not reported. Officials on the scene noted that they did not believe he was under the influence. McIntosh did not undergo similar testing.
Lieutenant Jim Beauford, chief of public affairs for Florida Highway Patrol, shared a statement with the Globe, noting that this was being treated as a criminal investigation. He told the outlet that no charges would be made until the conclusion of the investigation.
“We understand the public‘s desire for a fast resolution to these criminal investigations; however, it is more important that we conduct the best investigation possible for the people that are involved,” he said in an email.
Dr. Gary Howerton, who was on the highway at the time of the crash and tried to render aid to those involved, told the Globe that McIntosh’s car “blew by me like I was standing still.”
At the time, he estimated that he was moving at speeds of about 72 MPH.
“My first impression was, ‘Oh no.’ Something bad is going to happen because of the way he was driving,” he said, noting that he heard the collision.
He told the outlet that the truck appeared to have time to complete the U-turn, saying, “This car was just going so fast.”
It shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
O’Donnell, a state diving champion bound for Williams College, was described as being “humble with a kind heart” by her coach Joe Chirico.
“The little kids looked up to her; the other divers looked up to her. It’s a tragedy that somebody at the top of their game, going to the best academic school, one of the best divers in the nation, was cut so short,” he told ABC affiliate WCVB.
Her boyfriend Warren Hansel paid tribute to her on Instagram: “There are so many things I love about you and so many things I’m going to miss,” he wrote, adding, “You are not just the love of my life but my best friend.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol but had not heard back at the time of publication. The Concord-Carlisle School District had no comment.
