Nic Nair Death: 3 Oklahoma meteorology students killed

Three University of Oklahoma meteorology students died while storm chasing in Kansas on Friday, April 29, and tributes from grieving family and friends poured in on Saturday, April 30.

The deaths of Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, prompted many people to express their sorrow while also remembering why they loved them.

Nair, Short, and Brooks were driving southbound on a wet highway when their SUV hydroplaned, left the road to the right, then returned to the road and came to a stop. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a semi travelling in the same direction hit the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.

The three were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials from the Tonkawa Fire Department and paramedics worked for nearly five hours to free them from the wreckage. The semi-truck driver was taken to a Blackwell hospital but was later released.