3 dead, 2 seriously injured in vehicle crash involving Indiana State University football players

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 8/23/2022, 10:16 a.m.
Three Indiana State University students died and two were seriously injured after their vehicle ran into a tree in western …
The five students involved in the crash included several football players, Indiana State University announced on August 21. Mandatory Credit: Tim Gangloff/Cal Sport Media/AP

Originally Published: 21 AUG 22 17:23 ET

Updated: 23 AUG 22 02:02 ET

By Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) -- Three Indiana State University students died and two were seriously injured after their vehicle ran into a tree in western Indiana early Sunday, according to the school and local law enforcement.

The Vigo County Sheriff's Office identified the dead students as football players Christian Eubanks, 18, from Waukegan, Illinois, Caleb VanHooser, 19, from Liberty Township, Ohio, and with Jayden Musili, 19, from Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

"As we are waiting on additional details from authorities investigating this accident, our hearts go out to the families and friends of the students involved," Deborah Curtis, the university's president, said in a written statement.

Omarian Dixon, 20, from Lafayette, Indiana, and John Moore, 19, from Wheaton, Illinois, were injured in the crash. The pair, also members of the football team, were released from the intensive care unit and remain in serious condition, Curtis added.

The crash happened before 2 a.m. in the small town of Riley, about 10 miles from the university's campus in Terre Haute.

The Vigo County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle was on fire by the time deputies arrived.

"Two of the occupants were able to be freed from the vehicle and were transported for medical treatment with serious injuries," the sheriff's office said. "Unfortunately, the driver and two other occupants were pronounced deceased on the scene."

The school has offered counseling services for students, faculty, and staff in the wake of the tragedy. It has also postponed a women's soccer match that was scheduled for Sunday afternoon.