TYLER, Texas — Police have identified two men who were killed after their pick-up truck crashed head-on into a charter bus carrying Brook Hill students and staff early Sunday morning.
Around 4:10 a.m., the Tyler Police Department was called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Toll 49.
According to police, the crash occurred in the westbound lanes of Toll 49, just east of the Highway 69 South exit.
Officials say a charter bus, carrying 25 students, six adults and the driver, traveling west on Toll 49 returning to Bullard from a trip in Orlando, Florida. At the same time, a pick-up truck, driven by Jeffrey Dalton Aynesworth, 22, of Rusk, was headed east.
According to witnesses, the pick-up truck crossed the center line and hit the charter bus head-on causing the bus to leave the roadway and crash into a ditch.
Aynesworth and a passenger identified as Payton Joseph Raymond, 22, of Flint, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies have been sent to Dallas for autopsy.
Two students, two adults and the bus driver were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Rod Fletcher, Head of School for The Brook Hill School, released the following statement in regards to the wreck:
Moments like this remind us how precious life is. We are thankful that our students, faculty and families are able to return to their loved ones without any life-threatening injuries. At the same time, we are deeply saddened over the lives lost in the accident this morning. Our entire Brook Hill community remains in prayer for their friends and families during this time of grief. We are grateful for the love and prayers from our Brook Hill family and the East Texas community for all those affected by the accident.
Investigators are working with the charter bus company to retrieve the video footage from the bus's windshield.
Toll 49 has reopened in both directions and the investigation is ongoing.