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Superintendent: Waseca athletes dealing with concussion symptoms

Superintendent Eric Hudspeth says some of the student-athletes aboard the bus are dealing with lingering concussion symptoms and sprains.

WASECA, Minn. — The superintendent for the Waseca Public Schools is promising ongoing support for the student-athletes involved in Saturday night's deadly crash between a volleyball team bus and another vehicle in Faribault County. 

State Patrol media said the driver of a Ford Mustang was killed, and seven teens received minor injuries after the crash on I-90 in Foster Township around 8:45 p.m. The school bus and passenger vehicle were going opposite ways on the interstate, and a preliminary report does not indicate which driver crossed over the centerline. 

The driver of the Mustang, 55-year-old Mark Alan Tigner of Brandon, South Dakota, died at the scene. 

Images of the crash scene from SKY 11 show the fatal collision occurred on a stretch of I-90 that is under construction, with one entire side of the freeway shut down and traffic reduced to a two-way, single lane on the other side. 

Waseca Public Schools Superintendent Eric Hudspeth offered an update Monday saying that some of the volleyball players, who range in age from 14 to 16, are dealing with ongoing concussion symptoms and sprains. He vowed that the district will actively support those involved in the crash, acknowledging that all the trauma suffered is not physical.  

"We are working with students and families today to follow up and support everyone's recovery physically and emotionally," Hudspeth said, echoing statements made by parents that the crash aftermath was "chaotic" and "very scary." 

In a Zoom interview with KARE 11's Rena Sarigianopoulos, Hudspeth said players and staff are meeting with counselors and a community support team to talk about what they're experiencing and feeling. He says the district and athletes will need to decide whether a game set for Tuesday will go on as scheduled or be postponed for a later date. 

"Everyone processes differently," he said.  

Three different squads from the Waseca volleyball program, just over 30 girls and two coaches in all, were returning from a tournament in Fairmont when the crash occurred. 

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