An 18-year-old beauty pageant winner died in a devastating car accident on a Florida highway. Kadance Fredericksen, a former Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA from Baker, Florida, was identified on Tuesday as the victim of a tragic crash that took place the previous day.
Fredericksen had recently been awarded a $40,000 college scholarship, according to her tragic final Instagram post. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, she was driving along Highway 4 when her sedan was involved in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer operated by a 56-year-old man. Officials are still investigating the cause of the accident, and no arrests have yet been made in connection with Fredericksen's death.
Gone too Soon
Fredericksen shared the celebratory post just over a week before tragically losing her life in a crash on Monday along State Highway 4 in Baker, a town in Florida's Panhandle. Her scholarship was awarded by a foundation created in memory of Ellison McCraney Ingram, a nine-year-old boy who died in 2021 due to a brain hemorrhage caused by a tumor.
In addition to supporting local children's charities, the foundation created a scholarship program to help high school seniors pursue higher education.
Fredericksen was one of five recipients of the $40,000 scholarships, which are doled out annual installments of $10,000.
"This generous support will help shape my future and bring me one step closer to achieving my dreams. Thank you to the Ingram family, the foundation, and everyone involved for this amazing honor!" the beauty queen wrote on Instagram.
Fredericksen's family told WKRG that she had been accepted into nine colleges and had aspirations of becoming a veterinarian.
Community and Family Devastated
Fredericksen had earlier gained attention in 2017 when she launched "Kada's Promise," a charitable effort that distributed teddy bears and blankets to children in foster care, homeless and abuse shelters, and hospitals.
In a 2019 interview with WEAR News, she shared that her motivation to help others stemmed from her own childhood experiences with homelessness and abuse, before being taken in by her father and adoptive mother.
On the Kada's Promise website, she wrote: "During many dark times in my early childhood, the only thing that I could call my own or that made me feel safe was a single teddy bear that I received as a gift."
Fredericksen was a senior at Baker School, and after news of her passing, the school honored her memory and talents with a tribute. "Please keep the family, the town, and the school in your thoughts as they will all miss and grieve this young lady. Counselors, mental health and school psychologist are available today at Baker School for students," the school said in a statement.
Fredericksen, a former winner of Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA, participated in beauty pageants at various levels, earning the title of Little Miss Northwest Florida in 2017.
Last year, she also took part in the Miss Teen Florida competition.
