Carson Volunteer Killed in Campaign Van Crash

A sad day for the Ben Carson campaign: The GOP candidate canceled Tuesday and Wednesday campaign events after the death of a volunteer in a car crash in western Iowa. Braden Joplin, a 25-year-old from Midland, Texas, was fatally injured and three other campaign workers were hurt Tuesday afternoon when their van flipped over on an icy road and was hit by another vehicle, reports NBC News. Joplin was flown to a hospital in Nebraska, while the other three were treated locally and released. Politico reports that Carson, who was in South Carolina at the time, flew to Nebraska when he heard the news and paid for a private jet to bring Joplin's family out from Texas.

"One of the precious few joys of campaigning is the privilege of meeting bright young men and women who are so enthusiastic about their country that they will freely give of their time and energy to work on its behalf," Carson said in a statement. "America lost one of those bright young men today. I had the privilege of knowing Braden Joplin personally, and am filled with a deep and profound sadness at his passing." Other candidates, including Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton, tweeted their condolences, while Bernie Sanders mentioned Joplin at the start of a rally in Iowa City, the AP reports. "I have a lot of respect for any young person who gets involved in the political process," Sanders said. "Our hearts go out to the family of the young man." (More Ben Carson stories.)