A TEEN boy suspected of driving a pickup truck in a crash that saw nine people killed was not behind the wheel, police have revealed.
Six college students, who were part of the University of Southwest golf team, were among the fatalities after a van collided with the truck in West Texas in March.
Ricky Siemens, 13, and his father Henrich, 38, were inside the Dodge 2500 and also died.
Cops alleged that Ricky was behind the wheel and breaking the law.
Texans must be 14 in order to start taking classroom courses for a learner’s license. They can receive a provisional license at 15 but they must drive alongside an instructor or licensed adult in the vehicle.
But, DNA testing has revealed that Henrich was driving the truck, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
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The NTSB also revealed that methamphetamine was in the driver’s blood.
And, officials said there was no evidence of “sudden or rapid loss of tire air pressure”.
It had been initially reported that a tire had blown out causing the horror smash.
Sgt. Steve Blanco, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, described the scene as “very tragic” in an interview with NBC – moments after the crash.
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Pictures showed the mangled wreckage of the pickup truck and van.
Both vehicles went up in flames and shocking images show the charred wreckage.
Head coach Tyler James and team member Laci Stone were both killed in the crash
The other students killed were Mauricio Sanchez, Travis Garcia, Jackson Zinn, Karisa Raines and Tiago Sousa.
Sanchez and Sousa were from Mexico and Portugal.
Dayton Price, 19, and Hayden Underhill, 20, were airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock in a critical condition following the accident.
Laci's devastated mom Chelsi said: "She has been an absolute ray of sunshine during this short time on earth.
"We will never be the same after this and we just don't understand how this happened to our amazing, beautiful, smart, joyful girl."
The teams were on their way back from a golf tournament in West Texas.
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University president Quint Thurman was left saddened following the deaths of James and the students.
James was the head coach of the men's and women's golf programs at the university, according to an online biography.
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