The Texas teen who was illegally behind the wheel and caused a deadly crash that killed nine people reportedly burned down his home three months before the incident.
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Ricky Siemens,13, died behind the wheel along with his dad, Henrich Siemens when the spare tire on their 2007 Dodge 2500 gave out and sent the vehicle spinning into a two-way highway, causing a head-on collision with a Ford Transit van that carried golfers from the University of Southwest and their coach. Six of the golfers and their coach died while two others were airlifted to a nearby hospital.
A family friend said the teen was also behind a fire that caused his entire home to burn down which resulted in his family becoming homeless and killing one of their dogs in December. Ricky was also a member of the Mennonite Evangelical Church in his hometown, Seminole as reported by the New York Post.
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“Just before Christmas, their house burned down … The 13-year-old made some eggs and forgot about it. I couldn’t imagine going through all that and then having this happen. It’s just so sad.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that they are still investigating the cause of the incident based on vehicle recorders.