Two Navarro College basketball players were killed in a car accident Feb. 9.

An 18-wheel truck struck a van of Navarro players as the team left Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas. Six other players and one coach sustained serious injuries.

The team was driving back to the Navarro campus in two vans. The truck hit the second van as the van attempted to make a U-turn.

Police believe the van driver failed to yield before the turn.

Freshmen Jason Trier and Pa Sarr died in the accident.

In the accident’s aftermath, the small college banded together to help students and families through the crisis. Staff members are participating in media relations and administrators are taking time to stay at the hospitals where the injured students are still receiving treatment.

“We lost some of the finest young men on our team,” head coach Lewis Orr said in a statement. “It’s like losing your children. The team is like my family.”

Last Wednesday, the campus held a candlelight ceremony in honor of the accident victims and their families. Team members not involved in the accident have asked for privacy from the media while they cope.

The accident has hit the campus hard due to the small student body.

“Everyone is involved and everybody knows everybody,” said Connie Cade, assistant to the marketing director.

Navarro students found campus unity through talking with students and faculty about the tragedy, Navarro sophomore and student body president Siouxan Gissleberg said.

“It has deeply affected us,” she said. “The one positive aspect of it is that it has brought together the school and community. I’ve never seen such unity.”

To support students, the campus made the Navarro College Counseling Department available throughout the school day. The Navarro College Foundation is also accepting donations in the names of the deceased.

“We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of concern and caring for the basketball team in particular and the Navarro College community,” Foundation President Dr. Dan McCoy said in a statement. “Many have asked how they might contribute; therefore, the Foundation is assisting by creating a special fund which will be used in a meaningful way to assist the basketball team.”

No other facts concerning the case have been released, including any possible lawsuits. Since the accident is still fresh, the campus is trying not to focus on technicalities.

“That information won’t be released for a while,” Cade said.

In a statement released after the accident, Navarro’s president Richard Sanchez vowed to “pursue a proper investigation of this tragic event.”