Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas, 19, Killed in Car Crash That Injured 4 Teammates: ‘Her Light Will Live on’

Mar. 15, 2025

A 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo winner has died in a car crash in Kansas.

The single-vehicle collision occurred at a Y intersection and a private drive when an 18-year-old Colorado man driving Brungardt and her four teammates in a 2007 Ford F-250 truck veered “between the Y striking a tree row.” This caused the vehicle to flip and land upright.

The driver and Brungardt’s four teammates, whose ages ranged from 18-20, were transported to Citizens Medical Center for their injuries. Brungardt died at the scene.

Emma Brungardt Facebook

“Last night [Brungardt] along with four other team members and our work-study were involved in a car accident,” the message read as photos of the late student horseback riding were shared alongside. “Unfortunately Emma did not walk away from this … We are praying for all families involved. Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena,” the post concluded.

Brungardt was killed and five others injured in a car accident on Oct. 4.Emma Brungardt Facebook

The other team members involved in the crash were later all identified to be from Kansas and aged between 18 and 20-years-old, reportedThe Wichita Eagle.

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“The Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Emma Brungardt, our beautiful Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas 2024," the pageant wrote onFacebook.

“Emma was a true gem and horsewoman 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. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers as they navigate through this unimaginable loss,” the post concluded.

source: people.com