'We believe ... God called her home': Community mourns Texas soccer standout killed in sledding accident
Quick Summary
- Community mourns 17-year-old Elizabeth Angle, a Texas soccer standout, killed in a sledding accident.
- Angle and another teen were injured when their sled crashed into a tree.
- Authorities continue to investigate the incident; no arrests have been made.
A 16-year-old soccer standout was fatally injured, and another teen was hospitalized and in critical condition following a sledding accident during an icy winter storm in North Texas.
Elizabeth Angle, a sophomore at Wakeland High School and a soccer player for the school's team, as well as the FC Dallas 2009G club team, died Sunday after the sled she and a teammate were riding on and being pulled by a Jeep Wrangler crashed, according to police.
The incident occurred just before 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in a residential area of Frisco, a suburb north of Dallas.
Police say a 16-year-old boy was driving the Jeep while towing the two 16-year-old girls on the sled. Witnesses reported that the sled struck a curb during a sharp turn and then collided with a tree, police said in a news release.
Both girls were transported to local hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Angle succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, while the other teen — her best friend, whose identity has not been publicly released by police due to her juvenile status — remained in critical condition, officials said.
The Frisco Police Department continued to investigate the incident Tuesday. No arrests have been announced.
In a Facebook post Monday, Angle's mother, Megan Angle, described her daughter as “a bright light, a fun spirit, a brave soul” who just received her driver’s license: “We loved her so much. She just got a car and a license and had her whole life ahead of her. It was all taken away so abruptly in a sledding accident yesterday. Life is fleeting and precious. I take comfort that she had people helping her til the end.”
She added, “We will never be the same and never forget how much love she brought to our family. Please lift her up in prayer.”
Luis Ramos, the coach of Angle's FC Dallas club team, honored her with a poignant tribute on social media, calling her the team's "calm voice" and a resilient defender who had overcome a broken ankle earlier in her time with the team.
"She knew what it meant to stand her ground. To take the hit. To protect what mattered,” Ramos wrote Monday. “She came back stronger, not just in body, but in heart. And now … though the field feels different, though the back line feels empty, we believe this: God called her home not in defeat, but in victory. Still guarding. Still strong. Now standing watch from a higher ground.”
The freak accident was one of several reported in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern and highlighted the dangers of sledding on ice in Texas, where conditions differ significantly from typical snow.
Officials at Cook Children’s Health Care System reported treating at least 52 children for sledding-related injuries over the weekend, with patients as young as 2 years old suffering from broken bones, head trauma and internal lacerations.
“This is not snow that we have here in Texas; this is ice,” warned Dr. Taylor Louden, medical director of emergency services at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. “When kids hit their head on ice, it can cause catastrophic injuries.”
Louden noted that sleds lack braking systems, leaving riders with little control on icy surfaces, and urged both adults and children to always wear a helmet, never be pulled behind motorized vehicles, avoid using non-sled items, and steer clear of streets or areas with obstacles.
Winter Storm Fern contributed to at least 35 deaths nationwide, many linked to hypothermia or weather-related incidents, though most remain under investigation.
