She died in a freak garage accident. Now this former FAU dancer is being remembered
A graduate student who was killed in a freak accident in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this week is being remembered by her old college friends in Florida.
On Monday night, Victoria Strauss, 23, was killed when her head became crushed between her car door and the pay station at a garage, according to local police.
Hours later, Jacquelyn Castore, Brianna Domaeti and Charleston Carter, who competed with Strauss on Florida Atlantic University’s Fly Girls dance team, spoke highly about the woman to Ohio station WBNS-TV.
“She wanted to be a therapist; she was about to graduate grad school, she wanted to make a change in other people’s lives,” Domaeti told the station of the Romanian-born psychology major.
“When we feel her absence, we will be dancing for her now I think for the rest of our lives,” added Castore. They said they plan to do a dance just for her in the near future.
It is unclear why Strauss was at the garage that evening, but a police investigation has been launched.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, police responded to the downtown facility around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday after a security guard saw a motionless woman by her car.
Local police said in a statement that the accident occurred around 11:37 p.m. on Monday.
Security footage reportedly showed Strauss dropping her credit card while attempting to pay. When she opened her car door to pick it up, she accidentally accelerated and the car crashed into the kiosk, trapping her between her car door and door frame.
“While attempting to pay for her parking, she dropped her card,” said the police department’s news release. “She attempted to retrieve her card by opening her door and leaning out to pick it up. She inadvertently accelerated and collided with the parking kiosk. The collision pinned her between her car door and the door frame. Strauss died as a result of her collision with the kiosk and was pronounced at scene. No one else was involved.”
Ohio State University told PEOPLE in a statement, “Victoria Strauss was a graduate student in the College of Social Work. We were heartbroken to learn she passed away on Monday, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family and friends during this difficult time.”
According to the young woman’s obituary, memorials can be made to Florida Atlantic University’s Dance Program in Boca Raton: https://fauf.fau.edu/paradise-club. Select “Tribute Gift in Honor of Victoria Strauss.” Or call the school’s athletic program at 561-297-2683.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
