A small Utah community is reeling after a pickup truck driver was killed when he crashed into two buses, also sending 19 students and one teacher to the hospital.
The injured students from Wasatch Academy — a unique preparatory boarding school in central Utah’s Mt. Pleasant — have all since been released from the hospital. One teacher, according to a statement Monday from the school, remains in serious condition but is considered stable.
The school says it’s providing trauma support, including bringing in additional mental health counselors, for those impacted. And it will provide ongoing medical care on campus to any students who need it.
The academy also canceled all final exams that had been scheduled for this week; those will be rescheduled for after the winter break, when students return in January. Classes and other activities will continue this week.
“Families will make individual and private decisions about their child’s schedule leading up to the break, and those private decisions will be honored,” the school said in its statement.
Anne-Evan Williams, the head of the academy, added that “for some students, there is comfort in regular routines and being close to their friends; for others there is comfort in being home with their families.”
The driver of the pickup truck was identified by Utah Highway Patrol as 43-year-old Melvin Beckstead, of Sterling.
Facebook posts from Beckstead’s friends and family say he had been working extra to earn more money for his wife and four kids. State troopers say they believe Beckstead was driving fatigued when he veered into oncoming traffic at 8:30 p.m. Friday and clipped the first bus. He then hit the second bus head-on, according to a UHP news release.
Both buses had been traveling north on U.S. Highway 89 as Beckstead was driving south. There were 36 students total and two teachers on the buses.
Based on the school’s activity calendar, it appears students were heading to a wrestling meet at nearby Juab High School.
The pickup driver’s mom, Jean Beckstead, posted on Facebook that her son — who went by the nickname “Scooter” — had fallen asleep while driving home from work.
“Love and miss you already Scooter,” she wrote. “… Our hearts are so broken.”
She said her family is praying for the students and teachers on the buses.
An obituary for Beckstead said he loved collecting things, including Harley motorcycle models, Zippo lighters, stamps and DVDs. He also enjoyed working on “anything with a motor” while listening to Pink Floyd.
It says he was most recently working for Skyline Mine. He was expecting his first grandchild in March.
Several employees at the local hospital in Mt. Pleasant also posted on Facebook that they were proud of the response by caregivers — including many who came in on their day off — to help those injured.
The school added in its statement: “As a community, we are navigating a challenging time, but we remain united. There is processing and healing yet to come, but every member of the Wasatch Academy community is coming home.”