A Texas high school baseball player and his parents have died after they were struck by an 18-wheeler while heading to a game.
The Rogers Independent School District announced the deaths of high school junior Connor McCaffety, 16, and his parents, Meghan and Clint, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 1.
“It is with overwhelming sadness that I share the tragic loss of Connor McCaffety, a junior at Rogers ISD,” Superintendent Duana Brashear wrote. “[On Monday,] March 31st, Connor and his family were involved in a devastating accident on HWY 36 in Milano. Connor, his mother Meghan, and father, Clint did not survive the accident. Our hearts go out to everyone that is grieving this loss.”
The family was leaving Connor’s high school golf tournament in Brenham and on their way to a baseball game in Rogers on Monday, Brashear told CBS affiliate KWTX.
In an email to PEOPLE on Thursday, April 3, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said a Ford sedan driven by Clint McCaffety, 43, was stopped at the direction of a flagger for construction in the westbound traffic lane. The department added that a 2015 Kia SUV, operated by a 45-year-old female stopped behind the Ford.
Then, “a 2025 Freightliner truck tractor, operated by a 26-year-old male from Bellmead, Texas, was approaching the two stopped vehicles,” said the DPS. “For reasons unknown, the driver of the truck tractor semi-trailer failed to control speed and collided with the two vehicles. The Kia was pushed into the ditch and rolled over. “
The DPS said Clint died as a result of the collision, and his two passengers, wife Meghan, 39, and a 16-year-old, later, identified as his son Conor, were pronounced dead the scene.
The Kia driver was taken to a hospital for treatment, added authorities.
The investigation into the crash remains active and open, the DPS told PEOPLE.
The family is survived by a 14-year-old daughter who was not in the car at the time of the crash, CBS affiliate KBTX reported.
Brashear wrote in the Rogers ISD Facebook post that support for students and staff will continue in the coming days and weeks following the tragedy, adding that counselors will be available on site at all campuses.
“Please keep this family in your prayers. Love each other,” Brashear’s statement added.
Connor’s GPS Legends Baseball mourned the family in a Facebook post.
“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of beloved GPS family members Connor, Clint & Meghan McCaffety,” the team said. “A truly incredible family gone way too soon. Please keep younger sister Kelsey in your prayers. Hold your loved ones tight.”
In an interview with KWTX, GPS Legends Baseball founder Brandon Puffer described Connor as a “fierce competitor.”
“When he was off the mound he was just so kind and such a great teammate … and that came from his parents,” Puffer said, “what they were doing when they passed, that’s what they did, they provided opportunities for their son and Kelsey.”
He told the outlet that Connor’s jersey will be hung up in the dugout as a way to honor him each game day.
