Two members of the Milligan University cycling team died and seven others were injured Wednesday when a car struck a group of riders during a training ride in northeastern Tennessee, officials said.
The collision occurred in Hampton, approximately 11 miles from the private Christian school's campus. According to state officials, 11 cyclists from Milligan, a school with just over 1,200 students, were on a morning ride when they were hit by a vehicle.
The district attorney for the county, Steve Finney, stated that a 69-year-old man from North Carolina was arrested and faces charges of reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated assault by vehicle with recklessness.
The university identified the deceased students as sophomores Haylan Engdahl of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, and Brayden Rogers of Huntsville, Alabama. University President Stephen Waers shared a video message with the school community, urging students to support one another and pray for their injured teammates.
According to Dr. Bracken Burns, trauma medical director at Johnson City Medical Center, four students were in critical condition as of Wednesday evening. Two other students remained hospitalized in stable condition, and one had been released.
The Milligan University men's cycling team had recently achieved a national championship, winning a team time trial at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Wisconsin earlier this year.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the circumstances of the crash. The speed limit on the section of Highway 19 where the incident occurred is 50 miles per hour.