In a tragic event, two cyclists from a Tennessee college team were killed, and seven others were injured. This occurred after a vehicle hit team members during a training session. The accident happened on Wednesday at around 9 a.m. on Highway 19 in Carter County.
Milligan University, a small Christian liberal arts college, confirmed the loss of sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers. State Highway Patrol provided the details. At a news conference, university President Stephen Waers invited the community to join in prayer and mourning alongside the affected families.
“I would like to invite the entire community into prayer with us, into grief with the families, with us, and into deep prayer for the families of those we have lost,”
The driver, John Benfield, aged 69, from Newland, North Carolina, faces charges. These include two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness. This information was shared by First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney.
The collision led to traffic halting on Highway 19 as emergency services responded. Among the injured team members was a person on the road with severe injuries, described by a passing motorist, Sam Rogers, who was struck by the extent of damage. He witnessed numerous crumpled bikes and injured individuals requiring aid.
Two victims were airlifted to the hospital, as stated by Ballard Health Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton. By Wednesday evening, six of the injured students remained hospitalized. Two stabilized students were receiving care in the medical-surgical unit, while four were in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit, according to the hospital’s trauma medical director, Dr. Bracken Burns.
Finney pointed out that the cyclists were not amateurs, emphasizing the team’s expertise. “This is an elite cycling team. It’s not a bunch of club guys getting together to ride. They know what they’re doing,” he stated.
Online jail records indicated that Benfield was booked without clarity on his release or whether he had legal representation. Efforts to contact him through public records were not successful.
Milligan University is located in northeastern Tennessee, around 12 miles from the North Carolina border.