A cherished coach and four schoolgirls sadly lost their lives in a catastrophic accident with a tractor-trailer while returning from a softball tournament in Canada.
The tragic incident took place on Friday at approximately 4:30pm. Matt Eckert, a 33-year-old coach and teacher at Walkerton District Community School, along with four teenage girls, Olivia Rourke, Rowan McLeod, Kaydance Ford, and Danica Baker, were traveling back to Walkerton, a town in Ontario.
After concluding the 27th annual Girls’ High School Invitational Slo-Pitch Tournament in Dorchester, their SUV collided with the tractor, police reported.
Their vehicle was then struck by a second SUV, according to the Ontario Provincial Police. Authorities are still investigating what caused the horrific accident.
Two 17-year-old girls and a 16-year-old died at the scene, while another 16-year-old and Eckert were taken to the hospital where they later died of their injuries, police said.
The tractor-trailer driver and two people inside the other SUV suffered minor injuries.
Although police have not officially identified the four teen girls who died, the Tara Twins U18 girls softball team, along with friends and loved ones, did, per CTV News.
‘Tara Twins have lost two of our own in the tragic accident Friday near Dorchester,’ the softball league wrote on Facebook.
Matt Eckert, 33, a beloved coach and teacher at Walkerton District Community School, died in the crash
Rowan McLeod (left) and Kaydance Ford (right) also lost their lives Friday
‘Rowan McLeod and Kaydance Ford were members of our U18 girls team, coached by Rowan’s father Mike McLeod. Our entire Twins family is reeling from this loss, and our hearts go out to the families, friends and teammates of these beautiful athletes.’
Eckert was not only a school coach, but was also an assistant coach with the Owen Sound Junior B Northstars Lacrosse Club.
‘Our organization is heartbroken and crushed to lose an important member of our family. Matt connected with our players on a level that is indescribable,’ Ethan Woods, the general manager of the lacrosse club, wrote.
‘His infectious smile and caring heart are things that will never be forgotten. We love you so much Ecky.’
Since the tragic incident, the mourning community has come together to pay their respects to the five lives lost.
A slew of flowers have been placed outside the school and flags have been lowered to half-mast.
Several residents also placed running shoes on their porches and left the lights on in honor of the victims and their families.
Jasmine Hunter, 16, was one of those who came to the school to pay her respects. She does not attend the high school but did have Eckert as a math teacher in the past.
Olivia Rourke (left) and Danica Baker (right) were also killed after the SUV they were traveling in crashed into a tractor trailer
Mourning community members are seen placing flowers and other mementos at the school in honor of those who died
‘Rowan McLeod (right) and Kaydance Ford (left) were members of our U18 girls team, coached by Rowan’s father Mike McLeod,’ Tara Twins U18 girls softball team said in a Facebook post after the crash
‘He was a great teacher. Like even if kids were being not good, he’d get them in trouble, but he’d do it in, like, a fun way,’ Hunter told CBC.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Keegan Padfield, left a pair of boots outside along with other neighbors.
‘He was a really nice guy,’ he said of Eckert. ‘He likes to make a lot of jokes, and he’s always really nice with the students.’
Not only did he have a relationship with the late teacher, but also knew the four girls who lost their lives.
‘When I first started out in Grade 9, they were all really supportive and helping everybody improve,’ he said of the teenagers.
On Sunday, the community gathered outside the school for a vigil to pay their respects to Eckert, Rourke, McLeod, Ford, and Baker.
On Sunday, the community gathered outside the school for a vigil (pictured) to pay their respects to Eckert, Rourke, McLeod, Ford, and Baker
Jamie Petit, a spokesperson with the Bluewater District School Board called the entire ordeal a ‘time of unimaginable grief’ for everyone.
‘It’s certainly left a huge void here within the community, and it’s something that’s going to linger for a long, long time, even beyond the initial grief stage,’ Pettit added.
Jane Thompson, the board chair and Lori Wilder, the director of education, also spoke out about the horrible loss.
‘We recognize that many individuals in other communities across Bluewater also have close connections with those lost in this tragedy, and their families. It is important to acknowledge how this tragedy is impacting them as well. We are all here to support one another,’ they said in a joint statement.
DailyMail.com contacted the Ontario Provincial Police for more information.
