Two Williston High School students killed in Sunday morning wreck

By John M. Ayers

The Florida Highway Patrol reported two Williston High School students were killed Sunday morning when they were involved in a single vehicle traffic accident on US 301, in Marion County.
Tiffany Oliver, 17, of Williston and Marqui Cook, 17, of Morriston were killed when they were ejected from a 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck that was traveling north on US 301 at 2:56 a.m. Sunday. Tiffany Oliver was driving the pickup truck when she drove north of NW 13th Street in Marion County. The driver was reported to have been negotiating a left hand curve when she lost control of the vehicle. The truck traveled into the southbound lane of US 301 when the driver over-steered to the left. The driver was reported to have over-corrected the path of travel to the right, which caused the truck to begin a clock-wise rotation as it traveled onto the grassy east shoulder of the highway. The truck began to overturn just before its left front collided with a tree. The driver and a passenger were ejected as the truck struck a second tree as it rotated off the first tree. The truck came to rest on its left side on the east shoulder of the highway. A second passenger, Nicole Brown, 15, of Morriston was trapped in the wreckage until fire rescue personnel were able to extricate the victim from the vehicle. The emergency rescue personnel pronounced the two seventeen-year-old girls deceased at the scene of the accident.
These three young girls were reported to have not been wearing seat belts at the time of this accident. Trooper L. McCullough of the Florida Highway Patrol reported charges in this accident are pending a complete investigation.