A tragic incident in Tennessee has left two young college athletes dead and seven others injured after a driver plowed into a cycling team during its training session on Wednesday morning.

The victims, Milligan University sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, were participating in an 11-person cycling practice when 69-year-old John Benfield reportedly hit them on Highway 19E in Hampton, Tennessee, just before 9:00 a.m., according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

“We are profoundly shocked and saddened to share that members of our cycling team were involved in a tragic vehicle accident this morning,” Milligan University expressed in a heartfelt statement. “There are no words to adequately describe this level of loss. Our prayers are with all those impacted by this tragedy.”

Engdahl and Rogers were declared dead at the scene, which is situated about 11 miles from the university campus. The seven other cyclists were promptly taken to Johnson City Medical Center for treatment.

At the medical center, four of the injured remain in critical condition in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, while two are reportedly in stable condition, according to JMCU Trauma Director Dr. Bracken Burns.

The seventh cyclist was evaluated and later released.

Officials did not publicly identify the injured athletes.

“Today has been an extraordinarily difficult day for a lot of people in upper East Tennessee,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a statement. “Families have lost loved ones. Others are waiting for news about people who were hurt. Teammates, coaches and an entire university community are trying to process something no one expected when this day began.

“We know there are people hurting right now, and before we talk about the investigation, we want them to know that our hearts also break and we are praying for them,” the THP said.

Benfield, a resident of Newland, NC, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness, Tennessee First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney said.

Finney didn’t provide details about the crash, including whether the suspected driver was under the influence.

Additional charges may be filed against Benfield following the investigation, Finney said.

Benfield is being held in Carter County jail.

Finney didn’t fault the cyclists for the crash, saying they were an experienced group who were out for a typical training session.

“This is an elite cycling team. It’s not a bunch of club guys getting together to ride. They know what they’re doing,” he said.

Engdahl, a native of Winthrop Harbor, Ill., and Rogers, from Huntsville, Ala., were mourned by the cycling community as “two student-athletes whose lives were taken far too soon.”

“We are deeply saddened to learn of this morning’s tragic crash involving the Milligan University Cycling team. Our hearts go out to the two student-athletes whose lives were taken far too soon, Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, as well as to the riders who were injured,” USA Cycling said in a statement.

Engdahl had recently recovered from a broken femur that he suffered after crashing during training in March, according to his Instagram.

The teen, who attended Christian Life School in Kenosha, Wisc. was remembered for his warm character.

“A beautiful person, infectious smile, magnetic personality, loved life,” Jeff Bogaczyk, head of school at Christian Life School, told ABC7 Chicago.

Wednesday’s fatal crash comes more than four years after another Milligan University athlete was killed in a similar crash.

Sophomore runner Eli Cramer was out on a pre-track meet run with two teammates when they were struck by a drunk driver in Lightfoot, Va., on March 31, 2022.

Jose Efrain Hernandez Mancia pleaded guilty to DUI involuntary manslaughter for the deadly hit-and-run crash, WAVY reported.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April 2023.

Preparations are in full swing for the NTT IndyCar Series as it sets the stage for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a standout event occurring in Washington. Crews are hard at work, piecing together a circuit unlike any other in the series.

This dynamic 1.7-mile track will carve a path through some of the most recognizable landmarks in the capital, offering breathtaking views of the National Mall, the Washington Monument, and the US Capitol Building. It’s set to be an unforgettable showcase of high-speed racing amidst iconic scenery.

This city street race, a fresh addition to the IndyCar lineup announced back in January, came to fruition following an executive order by Donald Trump. The directive called on federal agencies to collaborate with DC authorities, aiming to honor America’s 250th anniversary through this thrilling event.

As reported by the New York Post, President Trump will make a ceremonial appearance, joining a lap of honor in his presidential motorcade prior to the main racing event scheduled for August 23.

In conversation with OutKick, a White House spokesperson affirmed, “Trump is making sure that America celebrates its 250th birthday with the grandeur it deserves, setting the stage for a spectacular celebration.”

‘The President will leave his imprint on this historic race in a way that only he can.’

The administration previously hosted a showcase event outside the White House in July to promote the race, which featured drivers Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas, alongside a live pit stop demonstration in front of the West Wing.

Organizers recently extended the race length to a full 250 miles, with practice and qualifying scheduled for Saturday before the main race airs live on FOX on Sunday.

The event comes just two months after Trump hosted another sporting event to celebrate the semiquincentennial, hosting a UFC event at the White House. 

The UFC took over the South Lawn on June 14 for an astonishing event that saw Trump perform his own walkout from the Oval Office before taking his seat cageside.

Meanwhile, back in January, Trump held an event in the Oval Office alongside Roger Penske, a racing great who chairs the Penske Corporation, and signed an executive order to get the race in place.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was in the Oval alongside his Fox News host wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, said the president had tasked him to ‘think outside the box’ and do something ‘historic and cool.’ 

Duffy didn’t realize that Penske’s company was already trying to get Washington, DC to host a race, which is now being dubbed the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. 

‘But to think, 190 miles per hour down Pennsylvania Avenue, this is going to be wild,’ Duffy said. 

The Transportation Secretary noted how the last race hosted in the streets of Washington was in 1801, when President Thomas Jefferson hosted a horse race.

‘And they’re going to put up something that’s really amazing,’ Trump gushed. ‘It’s really having to do with our great 250th birthday. We’re having so many wonderful things.’ 

Shortly after the announcement, the White House put out an AI-generated video of what the race could look like.

It included eagles flying alongside Marine One as Trump arrived at the racetrack – set up outside the US Capitol Building – with the president then waving the green flag. 

The video showed several military flyovers, including of a B-2 bomber.  

The AI-generated Duffy was waving the checkered flag to end the grand prix. 

In a developing story, the Drug Enforcement Administration has stepped in to assist with the probe surrounding the untimely death of acclaimed actress Hayden Panettiere. This involvement has been confirmed by individuals familiar with the ongoing investigation.

Leading the investigation is the Greenville City Police Department in South Carolina. However, the DEA’s participation underscores the case’s complexity and potential implications.

ABC News has proactively reached out to Hayden Panettiere’s representatives, seeking their perspective and comments as the investigation unfolds.

Panettiere, cherished for her dynamic performances in “Ice Princess,” “Heroes,” and the beloved series “Nashville,” tragically passed away on Sunday at 36, leaving fans and the entertainment industry in shock.

The involvement of the DEA in this sensitive case was announced just a day after Greenville police made public a detailed report shedding light on the circumstances at the private residence where the actress was tragically found.

According to the report, an officer arrived at the residence on Easley Bridge Road in Greenville, responding to an EMS assist for an unresponsive individual.

The officer said that Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zack Hickerson, when she died.

According to the police report, it is unknown if Panettiere was using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death, although the officer added in the report that Brian Hickerson had shown them the bag of medication that Panettiere was taking.

Officials arrived on scene to assist in the investigation, and the coroner was also on scene to conduct their investigation.

Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” the coroner’s office said in a press release on Monday.

Prior to her death, Panettiere had been candid about her struggles from child stardom through adulthood.

She released a memoir this May titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she shared “a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss,” according to a synopsis for her book.

Everywhere across Hollywood, many have been mourning the actress’ death. Along with “Ice Princess,” “Heroes” and “Nashville,” she also starred in “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen,” several “Scream” films and more.

Panettiere is survived by her daughter Kaya, whom she shared with her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The approach of prosecutors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is being criticized for seeming disconnected from jurors’ perspectives, according to a prominent criminal defense lawyer.

Lindsay Clancy, a 36-year-old, is being charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her young children—Cora, Dawson, and Callan, all under six years old—were discovered strangled in their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in 2023. The prosecution wrapped up their presentation on Monday morning, paving the way for Clancy’s defense attorney to argue that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time of the tragic incident.

Donna Rotunno, an experienced criminal defense lawyer, expressed to News Media her belief that prosecutors are not adequately tuned into the emotional climate among jurors, pointing out particular instances where this disconnect is evident.

One of the main examples Rotunno cited was a moment from Tuesday, when Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham asked Susan Clancy, Lindsay’s mother-in-law and a Catholic, if she knew murder was a “mortal sin.”

Susan Clancy offered no response to the question, prompting Judge William Sullivan to immediately call a sidebar and order the remark stricken from the record.

Rotunnno said the prosecution has so far come across as “uncaring and snarky.”

“I understand that your job is to prosecute this murder case and you view this as a first-degree murder,” Rotunno said, “but in sort of ignoring the true emotion that this type of a case invokes, and by ignoring it, you are really tone deaf as to the way the jurors feel.”

WATCH: 

Rotunno also pointed to the testimony of Lindsay Clancy’s grandparents, particularly her mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, as a pivotal moment for the jury. She noted that Susan Clancy appeared deeply sympathetic to what Lindsay Clancy was going through. If the individual with the most reason to grieve the children’s deaths is standing behind Lindsay Clancy, Rotunno argued jurors will find it hard to see her as a cold-hearted murderer.

Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney, asked Dr. Paul Zeizel, a clinical forensic psychologist, about the numerous times the mother reached out for help, and was turned away.

“She felt that her brain was damaged. She felt that she should kill herself. And she’s never going to get any better,” Zeizel said on Wednesday, explaining why Lindsay Clancy felt she needed to get help.

However, when Lindsay Clancy sought help in the form of a suicide hotline in December 2022, she was turned away, according to Zeizel.

“She called the suicide hotline, Zeizel said.

“Did she receive any help from the suicide hotline?” Reddington asked.

“She did not,” Zeizel said, explaining that “They told us she did not meet the standard of care because she did not have a plan.”

She called the suicide hotline again, and according to Zeizel, didn’t receive help.

WATCH THE TESTIMONY: 

When asked by Reddington, Zeizel also said that Lindsay Clancy thinks about her kids constantly and “misses them.”

“And when you speak with her and meet with her doctor, has she ever mentioned her children? Because apparently, according to the questioning that you underwent, she never talks about her kids,” Reddington said.

“She does speak about her children,” Zeizel said. “She really loves them and misses them and thinks of them every single day. Almost every moment of the day.”

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Also on Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan rejected a defense motion seeking to add Emily Thorndike, a former clinical social worker at McLean Hospital, to the witness list. The defense contended that Thorndike’s firsthand experience in the same short-term unit where Clancy received treatment could counter what it characterized as a misleading portrayal of the facility as a “five star” hospital offering unlimited treatment options that Clancy chose to decline.

“Her involvement in this case came about after one of the prosecutors — I don’t recall which — made it out on direct examination that McLean is some kind of a five-star institution where the doctors, the psychiatrists, the psychotherapists, and the counselors were all banging into each other in the hallway trying to interview Miss Clancy, who was just blithely refusing care and treatment, which is not the case,” Reddington said previously.

Sullivan didn’t allow her to testify in front of jurors, but did allow a request from Reddington to include certain records relating to McClain’s staffing when Lindsay Clancy was there, and programs it offers.

The defense will continue arguments on Thursday, as a group of people plan to support Lindsay Clancy outside the Plymouth County Superior Court by wearing pink. People who can’t attend are encouraged to organize a gathering in their city on Thursday morning, according to posts on social media.

Reddington told Fox News on Wednesday that closing arguments will be on Monday, and didn’t say if he’s made a decision on if Lindsay Clancy will testify.

He said Lindsay Clancy is aware of the support she’s getting when asked about the solidarity gatherings in her support, with people wearing pink.