An Auburn Middle School student was killed Friday night in a collision on the Everett Turnpike in New Hampshire.

Kobe Huynh, 14, of Auburn was pronounced dead at the scene following the three-vehicle accident in Merrimack, N.H. He recently had been battling a terminal illness.

Huynh’s father, Nghia Huynh, who was driving the car the teenager was in, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

In a release from the New Hampshire State Police, Trooper Thomas Conlon said Nghia Huynh, 37, of Nashua, was driving southbound in a Mitsubishi 3000 GT, with Kobe Huynh as a passenger, when he lost control of the car.

The vehicle struck a center-median concrete barrier before rolling over into the northbound lane, according to Conlon.

At the same time, Bernd Elsner from Germany was traveling northbound in a Hyundai Sonata when he struck the Mitsubishi in the northbound lane.

Conlon said a third vehicle, a Ford Focus driven by Patricia Poliquin, 55, of Bradford, NH., then struck the Hyundai driven by Elsner.

The impact from Elsner’s Hyundai, according to Conlon,  caused the fatal injuries to Kobe Huynh.

Nghia Huynh was taken to Elliott Hospital in Manchester and Poliquin to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester for evaluation.

Conlon said driver impairment may have led to Huynh’s loss of control, and that the incident still remains under investigation.

Huynh was arrested at the hospital and charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.

The principal of Auburn Middle School confirmed that one of his students was killed. “He will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to his family,” James Hand said Sunday evening in an email.

Words on Huynh’s Facebook wall echo Hand’s comments. “You were just beginning to explore the world and laugh. You gave drawings to your parents and listened as they read stories. But today you are in your true home and hugging Jesus,” one post said.

On Feb. 6, the Bates baseball team held a special dinner for Huynh, adopting him as the team’s “newest member.”

In the story from the Bates website, baseball coach Mike Leonard praised the teenager. “Kobe brings a level of toughness and resilience that is very impressive and hopefully something that is contagious to our group,” he said.

The Bates team, according to the story on their site, was put in touch with Huynh through the nonprofit, Team IMPACT, due to Huynh’s diagnosis with a terminal illness.

Huynh was to participate in team activities throughout the coming season.

Nghia Huynh’s Facebook page lists Kobe as his son, and features a photo of a Mitsubishi 3000 GT.

dmcintire@sunjournal.com