4 high school cheerleaders killed in Tennessee crash

HUNTSVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A rural East Tennessee community was grieving Saturday for four high school cheerleaders who died in a fiery car crash hours after they had been cheering on their football team.

The cheerleaders had been supporting their football team hours before the crash.

A sport utility vehicle carrying the cheerleaders collided with an oncoming car late Friday night on a wet, foggy highway in Scott County, northwest of Knoxville, authorities said. A passenger in the car also was killed.

Ashley Mason, 15, had been ejected from the vehicle and taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. She died Saturday night, said Myala Romines, an administrative supervisor.

“It’s more than a shock and we are just horrified,” said Cynthia Reynolds, the cheerleading coach at Scott High School. She said the girls went out after the game to celebrate another cheerleader’s birthday. “They were really, really close.”

Police identified the other three teenagers killed as Scarlette A. Hill, 17; Jaime Hill, 15; and driver Shirley N. Hughett, 16.

A passenger in the car, Jeweline Ledbetter King, 49, was killed. King’s 22-year-old daughter-in-law, Miranda King, was sitting in the back seat and lost her unborn child because of injuries from the crash.

Investigators believe the crash was caused in part by the slick and foggy conditions, and a preliminary report indicated none of the girls in the SUV was wearing a seat belt, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Scott High School Principal Bill Hall said the teens were considered leaders on the squad and were well-liked in the close-knit school of 800 students.

“We’re all devastated,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and the other victims that were involved.”

The car’s driver, Malcum King, 22, and a 10-month-old child, Aiden Wilson, also were injured and taken to a hospital. The conditions of the car’s survivors were not immediately known.

Investigators believe the SUV hydroplaned on a curve on the two-lane highway, flipped on its side and crossed the center lane, slamming into the oncoming Ford Taurus. The SUV erupted into flames.

McPherson said investigators believe passengers were still trapped inside the second vehicle when the SUV caught fire a few feet away. A passing motorist used an all-terrain vehicle to pull the Taurus away from the burning SUV, she said.

Patsy Allen, grandmother of the Hill sisters, said Jaime started cheerleading two years ago. Scarlette, who goes by her middle name Alisha, started cheerleading in 7th grade.

“They were good girls,” Allen said. “Jaime was outgoing. Everyone liked them both. They made average grades. Alisha was looking forward to starting college.”

Reynolds said the 16-member cheerleading team met for dinner at a McDonald’s after the home game ended in a loss to Anderson County 48-19. Reynolds said she heard about the crash after midnight and spent most of that night with the team at the hospital.

School officials discussed offering grief counseling, and a memorial for students and families also was planned. Funeral arrangements were pending.

The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 27 in Scott County, which sits on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. It shut down the highway for about eight hours.

Those in the other vehicle were from neighboring Fentress County, McPherson said.