A devastating crash during a spring break getaway has claimed the lives of three Massachusetts high school seniors and left a fourth in critical condition, casting a dark shadow over what was meant to be a joyful trip.
The fatal accident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Monday night on Highway 98, just west of Watersound Parkway near Panama City. Authorities say an SUV carrying the teens collided with a tractor-trailer that was attempting a U-turn in the highway’s median.
The impact sent the SUV careening into a wooded area off the road. Tragically, 18-year-olds Jimmy McIntosh, Hannah Wasserman, and Maisey O’Donnell…seniors at Concord-Carlisle High School located near Boston… lost their lives in the collision. A fourth student, also 18, survived but remains in critical condition. Their name has not been publicly released.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of the tractor-trailer, a 19-year-old from Florida, and their 23-year-old passenger were not injured. No charges have been filed, and the crash remains under active investigation.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the highway was reopened early Tuesday morning following the tragic scene.
Dr. Laurie Hunter, superintendent of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, confirmed the heartbreaking loss in a statement Tuesday morning, expressing profound grief on behalf of the school community.
“Their loss will be deeply felt by our school community as well as by so many families in Carlisle and Concord,” Hunter said. Later that day, she announced that O’Donnell, who had initially been hospitalized, had also passed away.
