13 year old drove pickup that struck van, killing 9 in Texas

A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says a 13 year old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people.

NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said Thursday the truck's left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact.

One must be 14 in Texas to start taking classroom courses for a learner's license and 15 to receive that provisional license to drive with an instructor or licensed adult in the vehicle.

The pickup crossed into the opposite lane on a darkened, two-lane highway before colliding head-on with a van, killing the boy, a man traveling with him, six New Mexico college students and a golf coach.