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Texas college grieves after 4 killed in bus crash

By WTOP Staff

CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

A North Texas community college brought in counselors to comfort grieving students Saturday and canceled athletic competitions after four women’s softball players were killed when an 18-wheel truck veered into oncoming traffic on a major interstate highway and crashed into the side of their team bus.

The collision near Davis, Oklahoma, late Friday badly damaged the driver’s side of the North Central Texas College team bus driven by a coach with 15 players aboard as they returned from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.

In addition to the deaths, two team members remained in hospitals Saturday, one in critical condition. The other nine players were treated and released, along with the coach.

“This is the most traumatic event that NCTC has had in its 90 years of history,” College President Brent Wallace said at an emotional news conference Saturday in Gainesville, Texas, about 60 miles south of the crash site on Interstate 35.

The four players killed were identified by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as Meagan Richardson, 19, Brooke Deckard, 20, Katelynn Woodlee, 18, and Jaiden Pelton 20. The women all were from small North Texas towns near the campus.

Three of the players died at the scene and a fourth died at a hospital in nearby Sulphur, Oklahoma, Highway Patrol Capt. Ronnie Hampton said.

Oklahoma University Medical Center clinical coordinator Darina Shellman said 18-year-old Bailey Buchanan was in critical condition Saturday. Kelly Wells, spokeswoman for Norman Regional Hospital, said 19-year-old Rachel Hitt was listed in fair condition.

The tragedy shocked the close-knit Texas community college of about 10,000 students. Rich Raymond, father of freshman player Emily Kuser, who survived the crash, said many of the girls had been playing together on regional softball travel teams since they were six or seven years old.

“It’s just an amazing family of girls and athletes and coaches,” Raymond said. “Just such a tight community. And even if your girl isn’t going to the school there’s a lot of pain right now.”

It was not clear why the northbound 18-wheel tractor-trailer lurched across the median into the southbound lanes. Police said they would investigate the accident as if it were a homicide.

Highway Patrol identified the driver as Russell Staley, 53, of Saginaw, Texas. He was treated in a hospital and released. Capt. George Brown, spokesman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said there were no charges pending Saturday against Staley.

The college’s police chief, James Fitch, described the crash scene as “chaos.” He said 11 ambulances and several helicopters responded.

The front end of the team bus was virtually untouched, but the sides of the vehicle were heavily damaged. The initial report listed the weather as clear and the highway as dry at the time of the crash.

Hampton said the truck kept going and went off the side of the road after it hit the bus.

“It took about an hour before we found the semi,” he said. I-35 is a major trucking artery through the middle of the country and passes through Oklahoma City and Dallas. Its lanes reopened early Saturday morning.

A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene Saturday and began what is expected to be a week of work in Oklahoma. Board member Robert Sumwalt said the team will be collecting evidence to take back for later analysis.

Sumwalt identified the trucking company involved as Quickway Transportation of Nashville, Tennessee. A message left with the company late Saturday was not immediately returned.

“We look forward to interviewing both drivers as soon as possible,” Sumwalt said.

The NTSB’s investigation will run parallel to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s criminal investigation. “Ours is strictly a safety investigation,” Sumwalt said.

Hampton said the Highway Patrol’s investigation would take several weeks and both drivers would undergo standard toxicology tests.

“Something happened to cause (the semitrailer driver) to depart the roadway and impact the other vehicle,” Hampton said.

A post on the North Central Texas College Facebook page reads: “We ask for your prayers at this time for our softball team.” The school scheduled a prayer vigil on campus for Sunday evening.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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