'Profoundly sad': Families of Ontario survivors in fatal Texas crash speak out

The families of two Ontario students — the lone survivors of a deadly vehicle crash in West Texas Tuesday — say they're grateful for the support they’ve received and that both boys are beginning their recoveries.

The family of 19-year-old Dayton Price issued a written statement on Friday, saying “their hearts are with the families who received a profoundly sad call that their children didn’t make it.”

According to the Price family statement, “Dayton is absolutely devastated.”

On Tuesday evening, a van carrying nine members of the University of the Southwest Mustangs men's and women's golf teams was returning home from a golf tournament on a two-lane road in Andrews County, roughly 50 kilometres east of New Mexico.

At that time, officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety said a pickup truck travelling in the opposite direction crossed the centre line and collided with the passenger van.

Emergency responders work the scene of a fatal crash late Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Andrews County, Texas. A vehicle carrying members of the University of the Southwest's golf teams collided head-on with a pickup truck in West Texas, killing multiple people, authorities said. (NewsWest 9 KWES-TV via AP)

Price, alongside 20-year-old Hayden Underhill, both of whom are students at the university and members of the golf team, are the lone survivors of the crash.

Seven members of the university’s golf team were killed in the crash and have been identified as coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico, and players Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico, Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas, Jackson Zinn, 22, of Westminster, Colorado, Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas, Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona, Texas, and Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal.

The occupants of the pickup truck, Henrich Siemans, 38, of Seminole County, Texas, and an unidentified 13-year-old boy, were also killed.

According to National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg, the 13-year-old boy was driving the pickup truck that struck the van. Landsberg added that the truck's left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact.

The Price family said they are grateful for those who arrived first to the scene and cared for the boys.

“We are eternally grateful and wish to thank all the first responders and those who arrived on scene to assist in ensuring Dayton and Hayden were well cared for,” they said.

They also thanked their community. “We are inspired and uplifted by the generosity and outpouring of support from our family, our friends, friends of friends, the USW family and the people of West Texas," the statement read.

On Thursday, the Underhill family issued their own statement, stating that “Hayden continues to make progress.”

“We are grateful to the many people who have expressed their best wishes towards him and our family, and have aided us in some way,” the statement read.

“We are also thinking of Dayton and the Price family as he begins his own recovery.”

The Underhills said they're remaining focused on their son at this time and are asking the public for privacy.

The Price family said their thoughts and prayers are with the Underhill family.

Price and Underhill have played in various Golf Ontario championships and are members of the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club and Kingston’s Cataraqui Golf and Country Club, respectively.

GoFundMe fundraising pages have been set up for both Price and Underhill to help their families cover medical expenses related to the crash.

With files from the Associated Press and CTV News Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras.