A few weeks before she was scheduled to graduate from high school, a Minnesota cheerleader was killed in a car accident caused by a state trooper.
Instead of planning her “graduation party and celebrating the next chapter of her life,” her devastated parents are planning a funeral for their “wild” 18-year-old daughter.
Keep reading to learn more about the horrifying incident that claimed the life of a young woman.
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On March 5, Olivia Flores, 18, of Owatonna, Minnesota shared one of her latest posts on Instagram.
The captain’s cheerleader posted a sequence of photos of herself with friends and wrote: “This is the hardest goodbye ever.” I spent the best 13 years of my life cheering. I have made fantastic bonds with the most incredible people and will always cherish you all. You all have my undying love. Captain Lively is closing.
A high school graduate, Flores longed to graduate and go on an adventure.
Stephanie Flores, her mother, said: “She intended to work and save money to travel to places she had never been.” a gift from her uncle Jon this summer. They both had a passion for history, so they were eager to explore it together. She also planned trips to the West Coast to swim with her closest friends.’
But the girl will never see the sea and will never have the opportunity to graduate.
“Every parent’s worst nightmare” On May 18, Flores was traveling in a Ford Focus driven by Katarina Bartz, 19, and Angelina Bartz, 21.
According to the Rochester Police Department (RPD), Flores’ vehicle was struck by an eastbound state trooper as it turned south onto Apache Mall while traveling west.
The Focus “pushed” him into a ditch after colliding with a car that was leaving the shopping center.
The two people in the other car were uninjured, but Flores and her friends, along with Officer Shane Roper, 32, and a 20-year-old passenger were taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital in St. Beer.
Next “The Flores family received the worst text message for any parent. That their child had been in a terrible car accident,” adds Michael Otte, who created a GoFundMe campaign for the teenager’s family after the “tragic” tragedy.
Tomorrow was Flores’ last day.
“Fly high sweetheart,” but now “Steph and Carlos [her father] have to clean up the pieces of this tragedy instead of organizing Olivia’s graduation and celebrating her next chapter in life.”
“Weird,” says her mother, who says if she had to sum up her daughter in one word, it would be wild. And by that I mean she would devote her whole being to anything she was passionate about.’
Olivia loved her brother Christian, who is in the tenth grade and plays baseball for Owatonna. Her best cheerleaders were reserved for him. Speaking about her daughter, Stephanie continued, adding, “She went to every game and made sure he heard her cheering him on in what he was doing and supporting her as well.” Stephanie is a soccer player.
Meanwhile, the community is also rejoicing in great sadness at the passing of the “bright star”.
It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to Olivia for the last time. She was a wonderful human being, friend, and source of support. She touched many lives and her brightening of ours will change them forever. The Owatonna Huskies Cheerleading team pays tribute to her on Facebook.
Friends and family members left heartfelt notes on the page offering their support and admiration.
“Olivia, my beautiful granddaughter, got her angel wings. Beautiful [my angel],” Flores’ grandmother Maria Rodriguez said.
“We will always be grateful for the time we spent with Liv because she was truly special. Love you,” the friend writes.
“A bright star appeared in the sky too soon,” adds another. We will miss him.
“Always Present”
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The night Flores died, people gathered to offer support in a time of deep grief.
Owatonna cheerleader co-captain and Flores’ friend Mariah Cuellar told ABC during the event, “She was always there for me and she was the person I could count on for anything.”
“I liked that she was there by my side … I’ve been rooting for Flores since the third grade,” Cuellar told local NBC station KTTV. They all agreed that she was a fantastic friend to each of them and a huge help both inside and outside of cheerleading.”
“Quite a character,” says Jenna Compton Flores, who has been her cheerleading coach since third grade. He has “so much energy, so much excitement, so much passion.”
Compton said her main sorrow will be for Flores’ wonderful smile and hugs.
“She always came to hug me at practice and I don’t know how much she knew that meant to me,” she told ABC.
Officials said there were no updates on survivors of the crash.
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There is a huge void in Olivia Flores’ community due to her untimely death. Her family is forced to deal with the heartbreaking reality of organizing a funeral instead of celebrating their daughter’s expected graduation while dealing with the unimaginable loss of their energetic and promising daughter. Those who knew Olivia will always remember her lively attitude and undying passion for cheerleading and her loved ones. In an effort to pay tribute to her memory, her friends and cheerleading squad joined together to share stories of the warmth, joy, and positive energy she brought to all aspects of her life.
After the accident, the neighbors come together to support Olivia’s family and show their grief. As time passes, more and more heartfelt tributes and shared experiences reveal Olivia’s influence on her classmates and family. In response to the incident involving the state trooper, the community expressed grief and demanded an investigation into how such a potential life was cut short. For those who had the privilege of knowing Olivia Flores, her memories will surely never fade. She was known for her unwavering love and wild energy.