3 Oklahoma Meteorology Students Die In Crash After Storm Chasing

TONKAWA, OK — Three meteorology students at the University of Oklahoma were killed in a crash after their SUV hydroplaned while they were returning from chasing storms in Kansas late Friday night.

Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas, Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois, and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, were southbound on Interstate 35 at Tonkawa, Oklahoma, around 11:30 p.m. when they lost control of their 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. The SUV veered off the road to the right, corrected left and came to a stop while disabled, blocking the outside lane. The SUV was then struck by a southbound 18-wheeler, killing all three students, according to a report from Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The three students were pinned for more than five hours and had to be extracted by Tonkawa Fire and EMS personnel, according to the report. The crash occurred roughly 85 miles north of Oklahoma City.

In a statement Saturday, the University of Oklahoma College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences confirmed that the three were students in the School of Meteorology. The college offered condolences to family and those close to the three students.

"Our community in Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is close-knit, and our School of Meteorology is very much a family," the statement said. "Now, more than ever, we must come together in kindness and heartfelt support for one another."

The crash occurred after the trio observed a tornado in Herington, Kansas, just after 8 p.m., according to a post on Short's Twitter account.

It was a momentous occasion for the trio, as it was the first tornado Brooks had seen, Oklahoma student Brayden Siau told News 4 Oklahoma.

Students remembered the three friends as kind, funny and smart. "They truly would do anything to help others out," OU student Leigh O'Neil told Yahoo! News.

The National Weather Service in Norman dedicated its Saturday evening weather balloon launch to the three storm chasers and posted video of the release to its Twitter account.

Reed Timmer, a storm chaser and University of Oklahoma alumnus, took to Twitter to share the grief of the storm chasing community and offer his condolences to the students' loved ones.

"These students are close to my heart and a shining light in the weather community," Timmer said. "Words cannot describe the sadness. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends. RIP my friends."

A GoFundMe has been set up by Met Crew Chasers, an organization of meteorology student storm chasers, to help victims' families with travel and memorial expenses. The fund had raised more than $41,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Monday morning. The organization also is offering stickers in honor of the students with donations upon request.

"These boys lit up every room they walked in, knew how to make everyone laugh, and were the happiest people we ever knew," the organizers said in the GoFundMe description. "They made significant impacts on the lives of each and every person they ran into."

Editor's Note: GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.