By rssfeeds-admin 
According to a press release from Merkel Police Chief Phillip Conklin, first responders arrived at the scene around 7:00 p.m. on BI-20, also known as North 1st, in front of the Humphries Village housing division. Upon arrival, crews found an SUV and a sedan involved in a near head-on collision.
“The SUV was occupied by two passengers (one adult, one child), and the sedan was occupied by four passengers (driver, 16-year-old female, passenger, 16-year-old male, and two additional passengers, both 14-year-old females). The driver of the sedan required extrication (Jaws of Life), while the three other passengers were removed without extrication. Immediate life-saving measures were started on both the driver and the 16-year-old male. The male passenger was rapidly transported to a nearby trauma center with critical, life-threatening injuries, the 14-yr old female was rapidly transported with serious non-life-threatening injuries, 14-yr old female transported with non-life-threatening, and the driver, once extricated, was rapidly transported with serious life-threatening injuries,” said Conklin in the press release.
The 16-year-old male succumbed to his injuries just after midnight on Saturday.
Clyde ISD Superintendent Bryan Allen told KTAB/KRBC that this is the worst news a parent could receive. After learning about the incident Friday evening, he provided support to the families affected. Allen emphasized that this loss has impacted not only the students who knew the victim but also staff members across the district.
“Not only are we here to take care of the students, we’ve got to be here to take care of our teachers also, because they’re really the first line of defense taking care of our kids. That’s a great thing about being in a small community and really even in the Big Country on a different level, our community has come out and really wrapped their arms around all of us,” explained Allen.
Students and staff across Clyde ISD and nearby school districts wore red on Monday in memory of the student, as it was their favorite color. Extra counseling was made available on campus to help those affected process the loss.
“We’ve got additional counselors on campus this morning (Monday) at both the junior high and the high school. Those counselors have come from the Region 14 Service Center. Other districts have sent their counselors out to assist,” added Allen.
The counselors will be available as long as needed. Allen encourages parents to talk to their students at home about grief and loss to ensure they know there are people out there to talk to if needed.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say hundreds and hundreds of text messages showing support. I want to say thank you to those districts for the support throughout the area. It’s been overwhelming, and it’s been really great,” added Allen.
According to Allen, the student was an athlete with a passion for baseball and basketball.
In honor of their memory, a collection will be held during the Clyde vs. Merkel home baseball game on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., where attendees can donate to support the families affected.
At this time, no further information has been released regarding the condition of the other Clyde students who were injured. Allen is asking the community to continue praying for the families as they navigate this difficult time.
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