Car crash kills ‘beloved’ cheerleader, Georgia family says. ‘Unapologetically herself’
A high school senior on her way to see Christmas lights died a few days after getting into a “very bad car accident,” her Georgia family said.
Kinslee Creed, a 17-year-old high school senior, died in the ICU after she was involved in a severe car crash Friday, Dec. 15, according to her family’s GoFundMe for her funeral expenses. She fought a “hard battle” in the hospital before ultimately dying on Dec. 17, the family said.
While driving along Georgia State Route 18 at about 7 p.m., the SUV Creed was riding in was struck in the back by another car making an “improper lane change,” according to a Georgia State Patrol statement provided to McClatchy News.
The crash caused the SUV to hit the median and overturn, causing Creed to be seriously injured, troopers said. State Patrol is still investigating the crash.
Callaway High School, where Creed attended, said in a Dec. 17 Facebook post it was “devastated and heartbroken” to hear their student had died.
The school held a “field of prayer” event for the teen, encouraging all community members to come and wear pink as a way to “cope with this tremendous loss,” it said on Facebook.
Several people who attended the school’s memorial event posted to the Prayers for Kinslee Creed Facebook page, noting a “sea of pink” arrived to remember her despite poor weather conditions.
The teenager’s mother, Laura Buice, also posted to the page dedicated to Creed, asking people to post their memories of her daughter so she could “see her as each of you saw her.”
“I don’t have the words as my world has crashed down and my heart has shattered in a million pieces,” she wrote. “I do want everyone to know I see the messages and posts and I see how my sweet girl has impacted so many lives.”
Tributes to Creed flooded the Prayers for Kinslee Facebook page, including funny videos and photos from her friends and emotional posts from family members in mourning.
“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” Valerie Hammett Buice, Creed’s step-grandmother, wrote on Facebook. “There will always be a hole in my heart that will never heal.”
Another member of the page posted a video of Creed delivering her graduation speech to one of her classes — something the user noted the 17-year-old would have wanted others to see.
“As we stand here on the start of a new chapter, it’s important to reflect on the values that have guided us this far: kindness, resilience, empathy and determination,” Creed said in the video. “These are the qualities that will continue to lead us to success.”
Creed was born in LaGrange and lived there throughout her life, according to her obituary. She was someone with a “free spirit” and was always “unapologetically herself,” the obituary read.
She worked as a server at Karvelas Pizza Company and Longhorn Steakhouse, according to the obituary. When she had time outside of school and work, she loved spending time with her family, boyfriend and friends, her obituary said.
One of Creed’s greatest passions was cheerleading, an activity she loved since she was “a little girl,” the obituary read.
Her family, including her parents and eight siblings, is now preparing for Creed’s funeral, which is scheduled for Dec. 27 at Tabernacle Baptist Church, according to the GoFundMe.
“Her parents along with many other family and friends have been by her side every single second. Not leaving the hospital at all,” the GoFundMe read. “They’ve had to take time off from work and the holidays are right around the corner.”
LaGrange is about 65 miles southwest of Atlanta.
