A 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo winner tragically passed away in Kansas last week after a single-vehicle collision.
According to PEOPLE, 19-year-old Emma Brungardt, a student at Colby Community College, was killed and four of her teammates injured in the incident, which occurred at around 9:44 p.m. on Friday, October 4 in Thomas County, Kansas.
An 18-year-old Colorado man was said to be driving Emma and her four teammates when the 2007 Ford F-250 truck veered “between the Y striking a tree row” at a Y intersection. The vehicle then flipped before landing upright.
As per PEOPLE, the driver and Brungardt’s four teammates – all aged between 18 and 20 – were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries. Brungardt, who was crowned 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas, died at the scene.
“Last night [Brungardt] along with four other team members and our work-study were involved in a car accident,” read a message published to Facebook by Colby Community College.
“Unfortunately Emma did not walk away from this … We are praying for all families involved. Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena,” the post concluded.
The Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant, meanwhile, wrote: “The Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Emma Brungardt, our beautiful Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas 2024.”
“Emma was a true gem and horsewoman who embodied what it meant to be a rodeo queen, always going above and beyond what was expected of her.
“We will miss her contagious smile and one in a million personality. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers as they navigate through this unimaginable loss,” the post concluded.
Rest in peace, Emma. Such a tragic loss of life.
