A beloved basketball coach was killed on Christmas Eve after raging floodwaters swept through Texas, and a search is now underway for his eight-year-old daughter.
High school basketball coach Will Robinson was killed when his family SUV was swept away on Christmas Eve in Sherman, Texas. The beloved sports teacher's body was found and four members of the family were rescued, but now a search has been launched to find his eight-year-old daughter Clara.
The family's vehicle was impacted on Christmas Eve, with an extensive search now expanding to include the lower branches of Post Oak and Choctaw creeks as they try to locate Clara. Searches have already covered seven miles of creek bed in recent days with no result.
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Lieutenant Samuel Boyle explained how the car must have hit difficulties, as he said: "It likely had to do with a large accumulation of water and maybe some hydroplaning, which is a very dangerous situation.
"Once they're in that drainage ditch, they're really at the mercy of the water flow and the speed at which that's going down. It's a tragedy, it really is."
Tributes have already poured in for Robinson via Facebook, with many highlighting his commitment to family and to teaching. His cousin Susan Sumsurf wrote: "This is just devastating, and happening on Christmas Eve makes it unbearable.
"Will was one of the good ones—a devoted husband and father, a beloved basketball coach, and just a great person."
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A teaching colleague also shared a touching message as he wrote: "They ALL hurt, but this one is also painful, hard to understand or even stomach. In my flesh, I keep asking, 'why?'
"Encouraged to see so many people honoring your Legacy and the type of young man you were. A Christian Coach and not just a coach who happened to be a Christian. Well Done Sir."
The Sherman Police Department issued a statement as it asked for privacy for the family whilst they grieve. It said: "Lastly, but most importantly, we ask everyone to please respect the privacy the family is asking for at this time, in this unimaginable period of grief.
"When we have an update to this case that we can share, we will let everyone know."
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The department also thanked the Sherman community for their support as it added: "Sherman, you all are relentlessly kind in many ways – how you continually want to bring us snacks and beverages, for example.
"Respectfully, we do not need anything else at this time. Receiving those donations requires some work, and right now, 100 percent of our efforts need to be focused on finding this 8-year-old girl."
Boyle also added a warning for other drivers considering taking to the roads, as he told KXII: "Please drive very carefully. Even if you think your vehicle can make it through some large standing water, please consider going around and taking another route because once you hit that standing water, you've really lost control of your vehicle."
Niamh Spence