A teenage girl has died while riding her bicycle along a well-known road in coastal Florida, police said.
Kendra Ahrens, 15, was struck by a U.S. Postal Service truck on Santa Barbara Boulevard Wednesday afternoon while she was driving home from work at a nearby water park.
She was a cheerleader at Mariner High School and worked only during the summers at Sun Splash Family Waterpark, her parents said.
The accident happened on a stretch of street near Mid Cape Terrace in Cape Coral, where the girl worked and lived.
She is remembered as “a sweet and cheerful girl” whose “life ended too soon” – by friends who said she was “loved by so many people.”
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Kendra Ahrens, 15, died after being struck by a U.S. Postal Service truck on Santa Barbara Boulevard Wednesday afternoon
The girl was riding her bike home from a summer job at a nearby water park, according to officers in Cape Coral, Florida. The truck that hit her is seen here
“We were playing chess after wrestling and cheer practice and she was so frustrated because she didn’t understand how to play chess,” a friend wrote on the teen’s website. online obituary.
He shared a candid photo, adding: ‘She was mad at me because I kept taking pictures of her.
‘[B]but her birthday was so close and [I] “I needed pictures to post.”
Another added a video of the couple, recalling: ‘[E]Every time we stayed at my place we would sit in the hot tub.
‘[I]“It was kind of our routine.”
Another added a photo of the dearly departed sitting in a restaurant and recalled: ‘[O]your first dinner together.
‘[K]Endra was so happy because she could spoil me.’
Others also noted the girl’s generosity in memory, while the cause of the crash that took her life is still under investigation. The mail truck was left behind at the scene of the crime.
The cause of the crash in which she died is still under investigation at the time of writing.
However, those who were at the Tropical Breeze Fun Park at the time of the crash were able to share some insight, with employee Joey Milligan revealing to WINK-TV how the collision could have possibly happened
However, those who were at the Tropical Breeze Fun Park at the time of the crash were able to share some insight, revealing WINK-TV how the collision could have occurred.
“There was a group of three of us present at the time of the incident,” Joey Milligan, a member of the group, explained of a group of mini-golfers.
“They didn’t see anything, but they heard brakes and a bang, and they wondered what was going on,” he said.
“They didn’t hear any sirens yet because it was still quite fresh. It just happened.”
The girls’ parents have since confirmed that Ahrens had been a cheerleader at the Cape Coral high school and was on her way home when she was hit.
Shortly after the crash, news crews caught a glimpse of the mail carrier’s stationary truck, surrounded by police tape, and Ahrens’ broken mountain bike still on the sidewalk.
A memorial has now been erected along the road where she was hit, as police have yet to announce who is at fault for the incident.
The name of the driver of the truck has not been released.
Police have yet to say who is to blame for the incident, as tributes continue to pour in for the teenager
A memorial has been erected along the stretch of road where she was hit as Cape Coral police continue to investigate the disaster area
The investigation into the collision is being conducted by the Cape Coral Police Department, as a local resident suspected that Ahrens was likely struck while driving around the corner of Santa Barbara, one of the busiest streets in the region.
“This corner is very bad for the riders, and I’m sorry to say someone got hurt here,” said Cape Coral resident Edi Recker NBC-2.
‘It is pathetic.’
The police investigation into the crash is ongoing. A memorial service has not been held until Sunday.