3 graduates among 4 killed in crash after high school basketball game, Missouri cops say
Four people are dead and six injured after an SUV crashed into a car driving home from a high school basketball game in Missouri, according to school officials and police.
At about 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, a 2025 Toyota Corolla was heading southbound along U.S. Highway 54 in western Missouri when the car, driven by a 49-year-old man, drove past a stop sign and was hit by GMC Terrain going eastbound, a Missouri Highway Patrol crash report shows.
The driver of the SUV, a 38-year-old man who officials have not publicly identified, died in the crash, according to investigators.
Three passengers in the car, all recent graduates of Climax Springs School District, were also killed. They were Ava Wolfe, Jayden Butterfield and Violet Corado, the district said in a statement shared Feb. 22 on Facebook.
The collision happened 2 miles south from the small community of Walker, which is roughly 80 miles southwest from Climax Springs, troopers said.
“Last evening, after attending an away basketball game, three recent Climax Springs graduates were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident,” school district officials said.
“Ava and Jayden were both beloved employees of the District, who dedicated their time and talent to our students each day. As students, all of these individuals left a legacy within our school,” the district added.
The women’s ages were 18, 19 and 21, according to the crash report.
The driver of the car the young women were riding in was taken to a hospital in serious condition, according to troopers. A 38-year-old passenger was also seriously injured.
The four passengers of the SUV, ages 16, 16, 18 and 39, survived. The 39-year-old woman was reported in serious condition and the three younger passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to moderate.
Walker is a roughly 100-mile drive southeast from Kansas City.
This story was originally published February 23, 2025 at 10:48 AM with the headline "3 graduates among 4 killed in crash after high school basketball game, Missouri cops say."