FORD COUNTY —The National Weather Service office in Dodge City on Sunday honored three meteorology students who died in an accident Friday night traveling back from storm chasing in Kansas.
'Tonight's 0Z radiosonde launch is dedicated to Nicholas Nair, Gavin Short, and Drake Brooks, the 3 OU meteorology students who tragically were killed in a car accident Friday night. RIP," the National Weather Service in Dodge City wrote on social media.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in the crash shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday.
The three were in a vehicle being driven by Nair southbound on Interstate 35 when the vehicle hydroplaned and was struck by a tractor-trailer rig in Tonkawa, about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City.
A statement released by OU said: “The university is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students. Each were valued and loved members of our community.”