BILLINGS — Montana State University Billings said Tuesday it followed policy after several student-athletes with the cross-country team were injured in a weekend crash.
In written responses to Q2 News, Dan Carter, director of communications and marketing at MSU Billings, said the university adheres to the statewide vehicle and travel policy set by the Montana Board of Regents.
Carter said the men’s and women’s cross-country teams were traveling in three vans and an SUV, but he did not know how athletes and coaches were divided among the vehicles or who was driving.
Washington State Patrol troopers say student athlete Cecily Eagleton, 21, was driving one of the vans when she veered off the road and hit an embankment and driveway.
Distracted driving is believed to be a factor in the crash, the patrol states.
Three vans and one SUV were traveling together with 20 members, including both the men's and women's teams and the coaching staff, to a meet at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.
Carter said the van that crashed was traveling on a road with a narrow shoulder and no rumble strip, and hit a paved driveway area.
The van held six athletes, with all suffering injuries, including concussions. Two were airlifted due to the severity of their injuries.
As of Tuesday, all but one have returned home, according to Carter, as one athlete is receiving further care at a Spokane-area hospital.
“MSU Billings follows the Montana University System travel policy,” Carter said. “We are committed to helping the injured students recover, both physically and emotionally.”
According to that policy, all drivers operating university or state vehicles must hold valid driver’s licenses, follow all traffic laws, and wear seat belts.
The policy also requires pre-trip inspections, encourages defensive driver training for anyone operating vehicles carrying more than seven passengers, and prohibits the use of full-size 15-passenger vans unless they are steel-framed buses designed for safe passenger transport.
The policy also strongly encourages the use of drivers who are at least 21 years old and have significant experience operating large vehicles when transporting groups of students.
Drivers are instructed not to drive when drowsy, and smoking or distracted driving is banned in all state vehicles.
Carter said the university community continues to rally around the student-athletes and one another.
“MSU Billings is a caring environment,” he said. “Faculty and staff offer support for our students all the time, and in times of added stress, we rally to provide the support they need.”
Mental health counselors with Student Health Services are available to assist team members and other students who may be struggling in the wake of the crash, he said.
When asked whether Friday’s cross country meet at Amend Park would include a public acknowledgment of the injured athletes, Carter said he was unsure, noting that such events are “busy and spread out, which would make a formal acknowledgment difficult logistically.”
As for potential policy changes, Carter said the university and the Montana Board of Regents “regularly review policies and procedures to ensure the needs of the campus community and support the health, safety, and academic and personal success of students and employees.”
“It is too early to know if any updates or changes to current policies will happen,” he added.
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