A heartbreaking tragedy has rocked Climax Springs School District and the community of Missouri after a devastating crash on Friday evening, February 21.

Four people lost their lives in the violent crash, including three recent high school graduates who were on their way home after watching their alma mater’s basketball game.

Slammed into a fence and a tree
Around 8 p.m. on Friday, February 21, a tragic crash took place in western Missouri. A 49-year-old man was driving a 2025 Toyota Corolla south on U.S. Highway 54 when he ran a stop sign and was hit by an eastbound GMC Terrain. The impact was devastating. The 38-year-old man driving the GMC, whose name hasn’t been released, died at the scene.

The three young passengers in the Corolla—Ava Wolfe, Jayden Butterfield, and Violet Corado—also lost their lives. They were all recent graduates of Climax Springs School District. The force of the crash sent the Corolla off the road, slamming into a fence and a tree, according to reports.

This loss has shaken the community, with the district remembering these bright young lives in a heartfelt post on Facebook, according to Kansas City Star.

”Last evening, after attending an away basketball game, three recent Climax Springs graduates were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident,” school district officials said. Ava and Jayden were both beloved employees of the district, who dedicated their time and talent to our students each day,” the school district wrote and added:

”As students, all of these individuals left a legacy within our school.”

”The District will host counselors for our students and staff on Monday and Tuesday of next week. As the families and our community grieve the loss of lives which held many great things ahead of them, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers,” the post concluded.

Dreamed of becoming an English teacher
Corrado had dreams of becoming a high school English teacher, as mentioned in a senior spotlight posted in May, according to Daily Mail. Just a day before the crash, Wolfe had bought a Ford Bronco, according to a local dealership.

”Just yesterday, Ava was here, filled with joy and excitement as she drove home in her Bronco,” the dealership, Maples Ford, shared. ”To now be facing this heartbreaking loss is truly unimaginable.”

In a Facebook post from February 2022, Ashley Butterfield reflected on watching her daughter play basketball for the last time.

”Watching these girls grow up, do what they love, laughing and cheering each other through tough games and always lifting each other up has come to an end,” she wrote. ”Many basketball camps, summer leagues, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours in practice, after-game meals, and pregame talks… It’s all over. I just blinked and it’s over.”

”Jayden, you are one hell of an athlete and I’m so lucky I’ve been fortunate enough to follow you around all these years,” Ashley posted. ”I would do it all over and over again.”

A fundraising page has also been set up for the girls’ families, and many have already donated. Here’s what the person who started the fundraiser, LaRessa LyVonne Cline, writes:

”These beautiful souls were part of three different families and have left the community devastated. In times like these, there aren’t enough prayers, love or tears that could even touch the hurt or heal the hearts of a small town.”

Four out of the ten were wearing seatbelts
In addition to the fatalities, four passengers inside the SUV — two 16-year-old girls from Osceola, an 18-year-old woman, and a 39-year-old woman — were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The 38-year-old driver of the Corolla also sustained serious injuries.

Officials also reported that only four out of the ten people involved in the collision were wearing seatbelts.

Such a heartbreaking loss 😞. These young lives taken too soon. May they all rest in peace. My deepest condolences to their families. God bless you all.