Seven people, including children, were killed Wednesday evening in Truxton, N.Y., when a trailer detached from a tractor-trailer rig and hit a minivan, authorities said.

Cortland County Sheriff's Capt. Mark Helms told NBC News that seven of the eight occupants of the minivan were killed. The accident occurred at approximately 6:05 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

The four children and three adults who died in the accident were identified later Thursday.

Teresa Bush, 26, died in the crash along with her two daughters, Alexis Bush, 4, and Jasmine Bush, 5, according to the sheriff's office. Lena Beckwith, 21; Carino Vanorden, 24; Alyssa Mead, 7; and Tyler Mead, 4, also died.

The father of two of the children killed in the crash, Shawn Mead, was being treated at Upstate Medical Center with unspecified injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

The two occupants of the tractor-trailer, which was hauling crushed cars for a salvage company, weren't injured in the accident, which occurred on Route 13 in Truxton, about 25 miles south of Syracuse.

The driver was identified as Ryan Dorward, 26, and his passenger as Duane Newton, 44. The investigation is ongoing.

There were thunderstorms in the area Wednesday evening, but it wasn't known whether weather played a role in the crash. Thousands of customers were reported to be without power in the area after the storms swept through.

NBC News' Matthew DeLuca contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published on Wed May 29, 2013 11:41 PM EDT

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- A minivan with two parents and two children on board plunged off the Balboa Ferry Friday morning after it was struck by another vehicle.

A ferry worker dove into the water and helped the family escape, getting the fourth person out of the minivan just seconds before it sank 15 feet into Newport Harbor.

No one was hurt -- the van went under just after the final passenger was rescued. 

Read the original story on NBCLosAngeles.com

In addition to the ferry worker who led the rescue effort, two boaters pulled alongside to help.

Witnesses said a black Mercedes-Benz accidentally accelerated as it boarded the ferry. It rammed the minivan, pushing it into the water.

The Mercedes was left teetering off the end of the ferry.

The incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on the Balboa Island side of the ferry run.

Witnesses also said the minivan floated for about a minute and a half before it sank.

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