The charter bus was carrying a group of college students from the Rock Hill, S.C. area who were playing for a football team called Ramah Jucco Academy, according to Jim Terry, who works recruiting players for the opposing team in Fayetteville, University of God’s Chosen.
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The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday near Hamlet, North Carolina, according to the State Highway Patrol.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol the 1993 MCI motor coach bus was traveling east on US74 when the front left tire blew, causing the vehicle to travel out of control into the median.
Highway Patrol has identified the four people who were killed in a bus crash on Highway 74 Saturday in Richmond County.
The victims have been identified as the bus driver Brian Kirkpatrick, 21-year-old Devonte Gibson, 19-year-old Teto Hamilton and 8-year-old Darice Hicks. The bus then traveled a short distance further before coming to a final rest.
A Rock Hill South Carolina football team has been involved in a fatal accident on I-74 near Rockingham North Carolina.
Ramah Jucco is a two-year program that helps students gain eligibility to play college football if they have not met all of their academic requirements after high school, according to its website.
Troopers on scene told WBTV more than one person has died from injuries sustained in this crash.
Numerous players on the Ramah team are from Clinton College in Rock Hill, according to Lt. Gordon. The school says it is canceling classes Monday and bringing in grief counselors. During the brief time that we have had these young men, they have become entrenched parts of the Clinton College family.
Rockingham is about midway between Charlotte and Fayetteville.
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A photo posted by WECT on Twitter showed just how badly the driver’s side of the bus was damaged after the crash, with emergency personnel attempting to move one of the injured onto a stretcher.
