Sixteen-year-old Aleena King was supposed to be heading home to Tulsa with her classmates after a weekend of meeting other student leaders and taking part in a statewide convention. Instead, the trip ended in a devastating crash that took her life and left several others injured.
Aleena, a student at Daniel Webster High School in Tulsa, was among seven students and a faculty member traveling back from the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils State Convention in Norman on Monday, November 9. Their school district’s Chevrolet Suburban was traveling east on the Turner Turnpike near Chandler when it collided with a semi-truck entering the highway from a travel plaza.
The collision happened around 12:45 p.m. near mile marker 170 in Lincoln County. The impact caused the school vehicle to spin and roll several times before coming to rest on its side. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, where several occupants needed medical attention.
Aleena, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was among two students ejected from the Suburban. Despite reports that everyone inside both vehicles had been wearing seatbelts, the force of the crash damaged the restraint systems. Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigators said the damage compromised the seatbelts, leading to the two students being thrown from the vehicle. Aleena did not survive.
The other ejected student was taken to a hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. Other students received medical treatment, with most later released from the hospital. The teacher involved was also reported to be safe.
The news has hit the Webster High School community hard. What began as a weekend of student leadership activities and new friendships ended with classmates trying to come to terms with the loss of someone they had traveled with only hours earlier.
A fundraising message established to support Aleena’s family offered a glimpse into how much she meant to those around her. “She was loved by more people than anyone can count,” the message read. Those words speak to the number of people now feeling her absence and the pain her family is facing.
The tragedy has also reached students from other schools who attended the same convention. Some had spent the weekend getting to know the Webster students. One student from Ponca City High School recalled her friend as “super, super sweet” and described the shock of realizing she had been involved in the crash.
Tulsa Public Schools responded by arranging support for students and staff at Webster High School. Counselors were made available to help the school community cope with the loss, while local officials and families across Oklahoma shared messages of sympathy and support.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the collision. Investigators have obtained video footage and are reviewing witness accounts and vehicle data to establish exactly how the crash happened. The semi-truck driver was not injured, and authorities have not announced a final finding on responsibility.
For Aleena’s family, however, the investigation cannot change the painful reality of losing a 16-year-old daughter. She had so much more of life ahead of her, but those who loved her will have to hold on to the memories she left behind.
Aleena Mae King (Kennard) will be remembered by the people whose lives she touched. Her family, friends, classmates and everyone affected by this tragedy remain in the thoughts of a community struggling to understand such a painful loss.