College athlete dies in head-on car crash, Utah officials say. ‘Kindest of souls’
_fitted.png)
A college soccer player died in a head-on car crash on a slick Utah highway, authorities said.
Lauren Bradshaw, 18, was traveling east on SR-6 in rain and snow near Soldier Summit in a Toyota Corolla when her car went into the oncoming lane on Saturday, Oct. 22, the Utah Department of Public Safety said in an Oct. 25 news release.
The car collided with a pickup truck towing a “fifth-wheel camper,” and Bradshaw died on impact, the release said.
Bradshaw studied at Utah State University Eastern and was a member of the women’s soccer team, according to the university’s athletics website.
“Lauren was the kindest of souls who could light up the room in an instant,” the USU Eastern Soccer Team wrote in an Oct. 24 Facebook post. “Such a genuine and great person.”
Others on Facebook commented on the post, calling Bradshaw “an amazing young woman.”
“Lauren was so kind and uplifting to everyone around her,” one Facebook user wrote.
Jess Brinkerhoff, the university’s athletic director, said Bradshaw was “an incredible member” of the soccer team in a Utah State Eastern Athletics Facebook post on Oct. 24.
“We are devastated by this heartbreaking news and pray that comfort can be found as we come together as a department and university,” Brinkerhoff said in the post.
Friends, coaches, teammates and students gathered to celebrate Bradshaw’s life by floating dozens of blue, purple and white balloons into the air, a video posted by the Utah State Eastern Athletics on Facebook on Tuesday, Oct. 25, shows.
Before attending Utah State University Eastern, Bradshaw attended Skyridge High School in Lehi, where she also played soccer, according to the university’s athletics website.
“During her freshman year they won the state championship, and her senior year they made it to the state finals,” the athletics website says.
Aside from her love of soccer, Bradshaw loved to bake and “do pretty much anything outside,” the athletics website says. Bradshaw had yet to decide on a major but knew she wanted to “make her own clothing line and had an interest in radiology.”
Soldier Summit is about 90 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 6:41 PM with the headline "College athlete dies in head-on car crash, Utah officials say. ‘Kindest of souls’."
