Father — Not Teen Son — Drove Truck In Texas Crash That Killed 9: NTSB

ANDREWS, TX — A Texas father — not his teen son — was driving a pickup truck that crossed into oncoming traffic and smashed into a van carrying New Mexico college golfers, killing nine people, and investigators said he was high on methamphetamine at the time.

As Austin Patch previously reported, a University of the Southwest van carrying members of the men's and women's golf teams was involved in a crash with a pickup truck near Andrews, Texas. Among those killed was the university's golf coach and six members of the school's men's and women's golf teams.

Henrich Siemens, 38, and his 13-year-old son from Seminole, Texas, were in the pickup truck, and both died.

In March, the National Transportation Safety Board said the teen was driving the truck when the left front tire, a spare, failed. The truck moved into the northbound lane, crashing into the team's van.

But on Thursday, the NTSB said in a preliminary report DNA tests confirmed the father was driving, and that toxicological tests showed he had methamphetamine in his blood.

“This was a very difficult investigation to determine some of the facts based on the catastrophic nature of the damage and the post-crash fire," Robert Molloy, the NTSB’s director of highway safety, said at a news conference.

Molloy said they're still analyzing the toxicological report. While they know methamphetamine can affect driver performance, it’s too soon to say whether it contributed to the crash. Investigators are still working to determine what likely caused the crash. A final report is expected next year.

Investigators have not found evidence of a loss in tire pressure or any other indicators that a tire failed, contradicting the NTSB's earlier findings that a front tire blew.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.