Moore community grapples with loss of high school student in fatal car accident

MOORE ― Police are investigating and a community is left reeling after a fatal car accident killed one high school student Thursday, the latest in a series of tragedies for the school district in the past decade.

The collision occurred around noon Thursday near the intersection of SW 134 and Pennsylvania Avenue. Police said three vehicles — two pick-ups and one Sedan — were heading eastbound at the time of the crash. At least one of the trucks struck a tree.

“One vehicle was in the left lane, one was in the right lane and another was making a left turn up ahead of them,” said Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department. One of the drivers “didn’t leave enough stopping distance for the one making the left turn in front of them, and so he tried to swerve, and that’s when he struck not only that vehicle, but the one that knocked him into the vehicle next to him.”

One of the trucks was carrying five occupants, including 15-year-old Colby McCarron, who Knight said was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency teams responded. McCarron was wearing a seatbelt, according to police.

Police declined to identify the names of the others involved in the collision, citing their juvenile ages, but said the other four passengers were rushed to the hospital, three of them in critical condition.

No one from the other two vehicles was injured, Knight said.

More:Southside accident involving Westmoore students kills one, injures three

“Our hearts ache as we process the loss of Westmoore High School sophomore Colby McCarron and our sincerest condolences are with the McCarron family,” Moore Public Schools Superintendent Robert Romines said in a statement Friday. “Five other sophomores were involved in the accident, with four of them receiving hospital care at this time. Please keep our students and their families in your thoughts and prayers.”

Jeremy Moses, a weather forecaster for Mesohunt in Moore, lives in an apartment complex near the school. In a Facebook post Friday morning, he said he’s praying for the families of the victims and the students at Westmoore.

“Because I live in such close proximity to the school, last night I felt compelled to go out to the back side of the property,” Moses wrote Friday. “I stopped within sight of the building and I prayed aloud. I prayed for the kids — that they would have peace, for their ability to get through today, to be able to focus on their work. … Most importantly, I prayed for the families of all of those involved, that they’d find comfort.”

Moses also noted the tragic timing of the accident, occurring the same time as students and faculty were dealing with final exams before adjourning for the holiday break.

“It is so close to Christmas,” Moses said. “Sadly, one family has gifts that their child will never open. Dreams that will never be realized. A home that will never be the same. Three other homes have kids that will have a long recovery ahead.”

Moore Public Schools has suffered several tragic events in recent years. In May 2013, seven children died after a devastating tornado struck Plaza Towers Elementary School. In February 2020, three Moore High School students died and four were injured after a truck drove through a group of cross-country runners.

And most recently, in May 2022, 17-year-old Westmoore High School student Kolby Dutton died while riding his motorcycle near SW 107 and Western Avenue.

“It’s hard, because the awful emotions feel repetitive,” said Kristy Hernandez, director of student services for the school district. “I think that’s the most difficult part about it, to be frank.”

Hernandez deployed the district’s Mental Health Team of 14 therapists to Westmoore High School immediately upon receiving the news of the fatal crash. By the time Hernandez was leaving the school Friday afternoon, each therapist was still counseling a student.

“I feel very blessed that we have that on-site Moore team,” Hernandez said. “They feel like a part of a family, and so I feel our needs for our students are met easier that way.”

Oklahoma City police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn, who is a Westmoore High School alum, said the investigation will take several more weeks to complete before results are presented to the district attorney’s office.

“It hits close to home, having grew up there,” Littlejohn said. “I still have several friends who live in the area, and their kids now go to Westmoore. It’s scary, even (at the department) when we get the phone calls about something awful happening, and my mind starts racing, wondering if it’s the child of someone I know. It’s always heartbreaking.”

Contributing: Staff writer Jack Money

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Westmoore High School grieves student death after fatal auto accident