What was supposed to be a fun and memorable field trip turned into a tragedy for a group of students in Arizona.
On August 28, in the early morning, students from the Holbrook Indian School were traveling on a bus to Window Rock for a field trip, when the bus was hit from behind by a semi-truck. The bus, when hit, crashed into a van in front of it.
According to the State Department of Public Safety, the accident occurred on Interstate 40 near Sanders, around 55 miles east of Holbrook.
There were 19 people on the school bus. Six were injured and one was killed.
Police said that the accident was precipitated by an earlier crash on the Interstate, that caused traffic to slow down.
The unfortunate victim was a 17-year-old girl. She was identified as Kiarra Alma Gordon, by her aunt, Falonna Ashley, who described her as having a “beautiful soul.” She said that Kiarra had just celebrated her 17th birthday on July 26, had a family and friends who loved her, and that she was “focused on education and was thinking about what to do after high school.” She had three younger brothers.
Ashley said her niece was from “a small community on the Navajo Nation” known as Wild Runs.
Six other students were transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
Authorities are investigating the incident.
