CSU Fullerton holds vigil for soccer player killed in electric scooter crash

Cal State Fullerton held a vigil for one of its soccer players who died six weeks after colliding with a box truck while riding an electric scooter. 

Sophomore Lauren Turner and teammate Ashlyn Gwynn were riding electric scooters near campus when a box truck hit the two young women, according to the Fullerton Police Department. 

Officers said all three of them were driving in the same lane on Associated Road, near the intersection with Yorba Linda Boulevard.   

The two young women suffered life-threatening injuries. Gwynn recently transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center in Houston. Turner initially made some progress in her recovery, but her condition plateaued. 

"When we got news of this incident, a part of me died," leadership coach Ali Malaekeh said. 

Following the collision, head soccer coach Demian Brown instituted a mandatory helmet policy for his athletes. 

"So many schools, so many programs have initiated their own helmet rules for their teams," Brown said. "If anything can come out of it, if we can do something to prevent something like this happening somewhere else."

Turner's mother sent a letter to be read out loud to the 19-year-old's friends. 

"There is no doubt we raised a good person," she wrote. "This is more important to us than any academic or athletic accolades."