Three OU meteorology students die in car crash near Kansas border
OHP has confirmed that three OU Meteorology students died in a car crash on Friday night. (KMEG/File)
TONKAWA, Okla. (KOKH) — Three students at The University of Oklahoma died in a car wreck on Friday night after hydroplaning on southbound I-35 near the Kansas border.
Nicholas Nair, 20, Gavin Short, 19, and Drake Brooks, 22, were all students at OU studying meteorology.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the crash occurred in Tonkawa, Oklahoma in Kay County around 11 p.m., near the Oklahoma-Kansas border.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the men were headed back from storm-chasing in Kansas earlier Friday night.
"People call it storm chasing but these are students who are actually in the meteorology program. So they're this is something they're doing to help with their education," said Lt. Phillip Ludwyck.
The vehicle, driven by Nair, was traveling southbound on I-35 when it hydroplaned and departed from the roadway, OHP said.
"They departed the roadway struck a concrete bridge barrier bounced off that back into the roadway and unfortunately that impact disabled their vehicle," Ludwyck said. "So they were sitting sideways in the interstate and within just a matter of seconds, a semi-truck also southbound in the rain came upon their disabled vehicle and was not able to keep from crashing into them."
Nair, Short and Brooks were pinned in their vehicle for nearly five and a half hours, according to the news release. Tonkawa Fire and EMS were finally able to remove the three men from their vehicle using the 'jaws of life' tool.
OHP said Nair, Short and Brooks were pronounced dead on the scene and transported by the Medical Examiner to the Medical Examiner's Office in Oklahoma City.
"Our hearts are breaking today as an agency knowing you know, we lost three more very talented young men who had a very bright future," said Ludwyck.
Students are left in shock, grieving for their classmates,
"It’s pretty shocking you know we’ve got some really dedicated students here but it’s probably the worst-case scenario you could ever imagine." said OU Sophomore Elijah Bigler.
According to OHP, the driver of the semi-truck was taken to the hospital and has since been treated and released.
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