Virginia

Classmates Honor Stafford Teen Killed in Crash on Her 17th Birthday

High school students in Stafford County, Virginia, are mourning the loss of a classmate who died in a car crash on her 17th birthday.

Helen Wang was turning from the Abel Lake Boat Ramp onto Kellogg Mill Road in Fredericksburg Thursday when a truck collided with her car. She died at the scene of the crash.

Wang was an honor student at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford and loved competing on the Stingrays swim team.

Stingrays swim coach Anthony Pedersen said he got news of Wang's death as he was mowing his lawn last Thursday.

"It literally floored me ... put me right on the ground in my front yard," Pedersen said.

The junior also had a passion for animals and volunteered with the SPCA.

On Monday, hundreds of students wore yellow in her honor and raised money for a scholarship fund in her name.

"She loved sunflowers. She loved sunsets and all that stuff so, we thought that was the best way to honor her," Wang's friend Madelyn Foreman said.

Her friends say yellow is also the color that most resembles Wang's bright personality.

"She was just so sweet to everyone. Like, she would never say anything negative about a person and I think that’s why she made so many friends. And that’s why I loved her so much," Foreman said.

Countless bouquets of yellow flowers piled high by the pool at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center, where Wang spent much of her time practicing and as a lifeguard.

Her coaches, friends and their parents started the Helen Wang Memorial Scholarship Fund to create a lasting tribute.

"I think in the first 36 hours, we've already gotten close to $4,000 on it," Pedersen said.

"I’m going to swim for her every race. That's who I will think about when I race," Foreman said.

Check here for more information about how to donate to the scholarship fund.

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