A two-time Massachusetts state diving champion was one of three high schoolers who died following a car accident this week in Florida.
Maisey O’Donnell and three other 18-year-old seniors from Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Mass., were involved in a serious crash in the Florida Panhandle on Monday night, according to Florida Highway Patrol. Students Jimmy McIntosh and Hannah Wasserman were pronounced dead at the scene, while O’Donnell and a fourth passenger were critically injured.
O’Donnell died as a result of her injuries. The fourth passenger, who has not been identified, remained in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon, according to NBC 10 Boston.
Police say the high school seniors were visiting Panama City, Fla., for their spring break. The group was driving on the freeway in an SUV when they were struck by a tractor-trailer that was trying to make a U-turn on a paved median. The SUV crossed the median before stopping along the woodline, according to police.
O’Donnell was a two-time Massachusetts diving state champion. She announced via social media in September that she had committed to Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.
O’Donnell’s coach, Boston Area Diving head coach Joe Chirico, told WCVB that O’Donnell was one of the best divers in the country.
“It’s a tragedy,” Chirico said. “The little kids looked up to her; the other divers looked up to her. It’s a tragedy that somebody at the top of their game, going to the best academic school, one of the best divers in the nation, was cut so short.”
Police say the driver of the tractor-trailer, a 19-year-old from Florida, and a passenger in the truck were not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
