Two university athletes from Tennessee died and seven others were injured Wednesday morning following a road accident caused by a driver who hit a group of cyclists during a training session.

Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, second-year students at Milligan University, were part of a group of 11 cyclists who were training when, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, they were struck by 69-year-old John Benfield shortly before 9 a.m. on Highway 19E in Hampton, Tennessee.

"We are deeply shocked and saddened to announce that some members of our cycling team were involved in a road accident this morning while training - Milligan University stated in a statement -. There are no words to adequately describe this loss. Our prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy."

Engdahl and Rogers were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred approximately 18 kilometers from campus, while the seven injured cyclists were rushed to nearby Johnson City Medical Center: four of them are in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit, while two others are in stable condition, said JMCU emergency department director Dr. Bracken Burns. The seventh cyclist was examined and subsequently discharged.

"Today has been an extraordinarily difficult day for many people in East Tennessee - the Tennessee Highway Patrol stated in a statement -. Some families have lost their loved ones. Others are waiting for news about the injured. Teammates, coaches, and an entire university community are trying to process something no one expected at the beginning of this day."

The Attorney General of Tennessee's First Judicial District, Steven Finney, stated that Benfield, originally from Newland, North Carolina, has been charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter and five counts of aggravated assault caused by a road accident. Finney provided no details about the accident, including whether the suspected driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Benfield is currently being held in Carter County Jail.

Finney did not blame the cyclists for the accident, stating that it was an experienced group conducting a routine training session: "This is an elite cycling team. It's not a group of amateur cyclists who get together for a bike ride. They know what they're doing".

Engdahl, originally from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, and Rogers, from Huntsville, Alabama, were mourned by the cycling community: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic accident that occurred this morning involving the Milligan University cycling team".

"Our thoughts are with the two student-athletes whose lives were cut short too soon, Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, as well as the injured cyclists," USA Cycling stated in a statement.

Wednesday's fatal accident comes four years after a similar incident in which a Milligan University athlete lost his life: Eli Cramer was doing a warm-up workout before a race with two teammates when they were hit by a drunk driver in Lightfoot, Virginia, on March 31, 2022.

Driver Jose Efrain Hernandez Mancia pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter aggravated by driving under the influence with failure to render aid: he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April 2023.