The 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas was killed and five of her college equestrian teammates were injured in a car accident in rural Kansas on Friday night, according to school officials. Emma Brungardt, 19, a sophomore studying equine management and production at Colby Community College, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.
The 18-year-old driver of a 2007 Ford F-250 was traveling south on County Road 21 when, according to Kansas Highway Patrol officers, he approached a Y intersection, veered off the road, and collided with a row of trees. Medics arrived almost immediately at the scene, but despite their efforts, Brungardt could be saved.
Tragic Death
The truck came to rest upright, and both the driver and four other passengers, who complained of pain, were transported to a nearby hospital, according to Kansas Highway Patrol officials.
The other victims have not yet been named, but Kansas Highway officials said that they include a 20-year-old woman, two 19-year-old women, and an 18-year-old man.
The Colby Community College Rodeo Team, of which Brungardt was also a member, stated that the victims include "four other team members and our work-study student."
"Emma was a sweet soul who picked up other people and always had a positive attitude," the CC College Rodeo Team wrote on Facebook.
"Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena."
The Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant also called the 19-year-old a "true gem and horse woman who embodied what it meant to be a rodeo queen, always going above and beyond what was expected of her."
"We will miss her contagious smile and one-in-a-million personality."
Tributes Pour In
On social media, numerous people filled the comments section of her memorial posts.
Brungardt was attending school on a scholarship and participated in goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping as a member of her equestrian team.
"She was simply incredibly," one person wrote on that Facebook post. "In all ways imaginable, especially in being a cowgirl."
"Emma was amazing!!! She was a fantastic representative of [Miss Rodeo Kansas] when I got to be with her at the Flint Hills Rodeo in Strong City," another person wrote.
"Her poise, personality and horsemanship were impeccable! She was so kind and gracious to young and old alike."
"As a first-generation cowgirl, Emma has immersed herself in the western way of life, becoming involved in [Future Farmers of America] in high school, and coming in the Kansas Wild Horse Youth Challenge for four years, winning grand champion in 2019 and 2021," her profile on Miss Rodeo Kansas says.
"She competed in the Kansas High School Rodeo Association for two years," it adds.
