The tragic and accidental passing of six high school students has left a small Okhlama community heartbroken.
It was a fatal car crash that claimed the lives of Austin Holt, Memory Wilson, Brooklyn Triplett, Gracie Machado, Madison Robertson, and Addison Gratz. All of them were between the ages of 15 and 17.
Per a crash report from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the tragic accident occurred at the intersection of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 22 in the city limits of Tishomingo a little before 12:30 p.m. At the time of the heartbreaking incident, the students were heading to have lunch off-campus.
The cause of the dangerous collision between a semi-truck and the vehicle the teenagers were in is currently under investigation. Although a state highway patrol trooper did note that the 2015 Chevrolet Spark the girls were in was meant to seat just four and that the accident happened as it was making a turn, according to The Oklahoman.
Only the driver and the passenger seated in front were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. The driver of the semi-truck was also wearing a seatbelt and remained unharmed. The heartbreaking loss of the young girls has been unbearable for their families who have taken to social media and fundraising websites to post tributes.
A parent of one of Brooklyn Triplett’s friends described her as “an amazing kid” who “loved her family and friends wholeheartedly.” Setting up a GoFundMe page for her family, they wrote, “Brooklyn was a cheerleader for Davis (DKA), played on many softball teams Crushers, Choas, Extreme, and the Knockouts…She was a loyal friend and one hell of a ball player! She will be missed deeply by our family.”
Madison Robertson’s aunt Falesha Roberts regarded her niece as an “irreplaceable gift from God” and shared, “I can’t even begin to express the heartbreak I know many families are feeling right now.” Per New York Post, she added, “I’ll be forever grateful that I got to see your smile, know your kindness, and that I could call you my niece Madison Patience Michelle Robertson!”
15-year-old Austin Holt was remembered as “a great big sister” by Natalie Houston who told PEOPLE that Austin was her daughter’s foster sister. “Please pray for my daughter she lost her sister yesterday in the wreck in Tishomingo! She is having a hard time…Joy says she will miss bugging her and messing with her! She will have those memories and knows that Austin will be with her always!!” she wrote in a Facebook post.
“Austin was a great big sister to my daughter and I know joy will never forget her. She was a gorgeous intelligent young lady taken way too soon for reasons unknown to me!” it continued. As for Gracie Machado’s sister, she shared a picture of the pair hugging and wrote, “My best friend.” Another relative promised, “We will never forget you.”
