A devastating vehicular accident in eastern Kansas resulted in the death of eight individuals, including two teenage basketball players, a coach, and a trainer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group was on their way back from a tournament when the incident occurred on a two-lane section of US 169, roughly 60 miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. The remaining victims were three members of a family from the St. Louis area.
The Kansas Highway Patrol stated that the accident transpired when a southbound SUV, driven by the trainer and carrying the basketball players, collided head-on with a northbound sedan carrying the St. Louis family. The collision resulted in a fiery crash, leaving a scene of scorched earth in Franklin County, Kansas.
A third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash and was hospitalized with injuries that the Highway Patrol described as potentially minor. The deceased young basketball players were identified as 14-year-old Donald “DJ” Laster, a student at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, and Kyrin Schumpert, a ninth-grader at the Union High School Freshman Academy in the Tulsa area.
Both boys were part of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program. The organization expressed their sorrow over the incident, describing it as an “unimaginable tragedy” in a social media post. They urged the community to support the families and friends of the victims during this challenging time, stating that the organization has suffered a significant loss.
Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, remembered DJ Laster as a standout student-athlete who excelled in academics as much as he did in sports. Laster was one of only two freshmen to make the school’s varsity team and was known for his ability to put others at ease.
The two adults who also perished in the accident were identified as Wayne Walls, a 41-year-old former teacher and coach at Carver Middle School in Tulsa, and Ja’mon Gilstrap, a trainer and driver with the Tulsa Public Schools’ transportation team. The survivor was 15-year-old Braden Walls. Gilstrap was driving the SUV at the time of the accident.
The occupants of the other vehicle were identified as Alexander Ernst, 37, of Ames, Iowa, and Madalyn Elliott, 33; John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, all of Chesterfield, Missouri.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred near Greeley, Kansas, a small town of fewer than 300 residents, around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday. The accident happened when Gilstrap attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle, resulting in both vehicles swerving into the northbound shoulder of the highway to avoid a collision. The impact caused a fire, engulfing both vehicles.