Haffner was driving the 2006 Honda Civic when it went off the left side of the road, crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed into a 2017 Hyundai Tucson near the intersection with state Route 41, OSHP officials said.
Haffner and Diaz were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said two people from the Hyundai were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
Diaz and Haffner were in their fifth year at the grade 7-12 Global Impact STEM Academy, according to Superintendent Josh Jennings, and were known as awesome kids.
“They were both involved; very conscientious about their work and both just genuinely happy kids that teachers ... gravitated towards; (they) were just-well liked,” Jennings said.
Global Impact is a project-based STEM learning school of almost 700 students that draws from around the Springfield area. Jennings said Haffner came to GISA from the Clark Shawnee school district, while Diaz was from the city of Springfield.
Michael Payne, Global Impact’s high school programming director, remembered both students’ personalities.
“Osman was certainly an extrovert who didn’t know a stranger. He started every morning with a smile on his face and his quirky sense of humor,” Payne said. “He was no stranger to the principal’s office, and he was loved by admin for that same reason.”
He said Diaz is someone you couldn’t stay frustrated with.
“Osman was friendly, kind, and never seemed to have something negative to say about anyone — he could always find a positive way to spin it,” Payne said.
Haffner was more the introvert, Payne said, though she was open to the few she was close with.
“She had an incredibly kind smile though didn’t always share it — so when she was smiling, you absolutely knew she meant it,” Payne said. “If you were one of the few Taylor would let get close, you would certainly consider yourself special, as she kept her circle tight.”
Jennings said one of Diaz’s highlights was a school trip to Italy — “It was a really big deal; we had a group that did a study abroad to Italy and studied food and cuisine (and) he was part of that.”
Haffner was an active part of two school systems, since Global Impact students can play sports for their home schools.
“Taylor is a softball player for Clark Shawnee,” Jennings said. “They had a game scheduled today and so they canceled that and had counselors available for the softball team at Shawnee today.”
“Both of the students ... really dove in, and just appreciated, embodied what we try to do as a school as it relates to culture and creating community around what we are doing,” Jennings said.
Jennings said school officials have training for situations like this, but that doesn’t make it easy.
“First and foremost, there is nothing harder in a job (than) when you experience a tragedy like this,” Jennings said. “And even as the school leaders, you’re not immune to the suffering and grieving either but at the same time, you’re providing leadership to your staff and your students and your families along the way.”
A short vigil will occur Sunday night from 6 to 7 p.m. in the academy’s gymnasium. Counselors will be on site at the vigil and on Monday as well as the rest of the week.
“[Everyone] is super supportive with protocols and processes that are in place — be able to help everybody navigate this in the most appropriate way possible,” Jennings said. “Provide the resources to the students to get through and process the loss as well, collectively as a community. ... And so we’re all sad, but we’re going to be sad together and that is certainly is a way to be able to help go through this process.”
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