2 members of Tennessee college cycling team killed in highway collision

Two members of Milligan University's cycling team perished and seven others were hospitalized in a fatal highway collision early Wednesday morning, state officials and the school confirmed. The team, an elite cycling group, was participating in a training ride when the accident occurred around 8 a.m. local time. President Dr. Stephen Waers of Milligan University identified the deceased cyclists as Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, both sophomores.

Tennessee First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney stated that the accident involved a vehicle and that the driver has been arrested. Seven injured cyclists were airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center, with four of them in critical condition and two in stable condition. The hospital released the seventh patient.

The crash took place in the community of Hampton, approximately 10 miles east of the campus, according to Milligan University. The exact circumstances of the collision were not disclosed during the news conference. Tennessee Highway Patrol Maj. Roy Brown mentioned that the incident occurred in a mountainous area and that troopers are investigating the specifics of the event.

Finney noted that the suspect, 69-year-old John Benfield from North Carolina, has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness, with the possibility of additional charges in the future.