Indiana State University announced that three students tragically lost their lives Sunday morning following a deadly car crash that took place in Riley, Indiana — only miles away from the school’s campus, according to WHTR.
According to the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, there were five people in total in the car which included players on the Sycamore’s football team. One of the players was reportedly freshman defensive back Caleb VanHooser, who received an outpouring of mourning from family, friends, and teammates on social media.
https://twitter.com/hawksfootball12/status/1561453624160448515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561453624160448515%7Ctwgr%5Ee1ff5493add8061a4e4c1d2e128a5ac5eb021470%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fothercolleges%2F2022%2F08%2F21%2Fcaleb-vanhooser-indiana-state-football-player-from-lakota-east-killed-in-riley-crash%2F65412816007%2F
Heartbreaking news to wake up to. Life is precious. Thoughts and prayers to all the families affected by this tragedy. Fly high fellas 💙 https://t.co/VkACtlY2il
— Dante Hendrix (@D_Hendrix8) August 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/LakotaSuper/status/1561463704218222593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561463704218222593%7Ctwgr%5Ee1ff5493add8061a4e4c1d2e128a5ac5eb021470%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fothercolleges%2F2022%2F08%2F21%2Fcaleb-vanhooser-indiana-state-football-player-from-lakota-east-killed-in-riley-crash%2F65412816007%2F
“This is a terrible tragedy,” ISU President Dr. Deborah J. Curtis said. “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.”
Following the incident, the head coach of the football team Mike Bath went to Twitter asking fans for their prayers and support during such a tragic time in their program.
Heartbreaking… Please pray for the families and friends of these young men, this university, and the men and coaches in this program https://t.co/YjC5bsHPHB
— Mike Bath (@CoachBath) August 21, 2022
Authorities add that the crash occurred around 1:34 a.m. on State Road 46 and Main Street in Riley, Ind., which is southeast of Terre Haute where the school’s campus is located. Investigators say that the car left the road and hit a tree before catching fire. Two passengers did escape the vehicle, though not without suffering “severe injuries.” They were taken to the hospital.
In an effort to honor and pay respect to the victims involved in the crash, ISU’s women’s soccer team postponed their Sunday afternoon match against Northern Illinois.
ISU’s football team, which plays at the FCS level, will play its first game of the season at home against North Alabama on Sep. 1.
About Jasper Jones
A native east coaster via Connecticut, Jasper is a writer for The Comeback and Audacy Sports. He decided to head south for college, attending the University of Kentucky and graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism. Prior to joining The Comeback, Jones spent a year writing for FanSided's college football blog, Saturday Blitz, covering news surrounding the sport and recruiting. He spent the same amount of time doing some freelance work for the tabloid/sports outlet BlackSportsOnline. In his free time, Jones loves to cheer on his Kentucky Wildcats, collect sneakers, read a good book, and get in some gains at the gym. You can follow him on Twitter @jonesj2342.