RismadarVoice Reporters, August 20, 2026
Two students of Milligan University in Tennessee have been killed and seven others injured after a vehicle struck members of the university’s cycling team during a training session.
The crash occurred around 9 a.m. Wednesday on Highway 19 in Carter County, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and university authorities.
The victims were identified as sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers.
The driver of the vehicle, 69-year-old John Benfield of Newland, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness, according to First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney.
Seven other members of the cycling team were injured in the crash.
Two of the injured students were transported to the hospital by medical helicopter, while six remained hospitalised on Wednesday evening.
Ballad Health said two of the injured students had been stabilised and were receiving treatment in a medical-surgical unit. Four others were in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit.
Milligan University President Stephen Waers expressed grief over the deaths and called on the university community to support the affected families through prayers and mourning.
The crash left bicycles severely damaged, with witnesses describing a chaotic scene involving emergency responders and injured cyclists along the highway.
Sam Rogers, who witnessed the aftermath, said he saw several badly damaged bicycles and injured people receiving assistance from emergency personnel.
Highway Patrol Major Roy Brown said the investigation was ongoing and that details could change as investigators interviewed witnesses and examined evidence from the scene.
Finney described the Milligan cycling team as highly experienced, stressing that its members were trained athletes who regularly participated in competitive cycling.
Benfield remained in custody, according to online jail records. It was not immediately clear whether he had secured legal representation.
Milligan University is located in northeastern Tennessee, about 12 miles from the North Carolina border.
