Following a devastating crash on Friday evening, February 21, the Climax Springs School District and the community of Missouri have been rocked by a heartbreaking tragedy.
Three recent high school graduates who were headed home after watching their alma mater’s basketball game were among the four people killed in the horrific collision.
crashed into a tree and a fence.
On Friday, February 21, at approximately 8 p.m., a tragic crash occurred in western Missouri. On U.S. Highway 54, a 49-year-old man was traveling south in a 2025 Toyota Corolla when he ran a stop sign and was struck by a GMC Terrain traveling east. It had a devastating effect. The unidentified 38-year-old driver of the GMC passed away on the spot.
Ava Wolfe, Jayden Butterfield, and Violet Corado, the three young passengers in the Corolla, also perished. All of them had just graduated from the Climax Springs School District. Reports state that the Corolla was thrown off the road by the force of the collision, slamming into a tree and a fence.
According to the Kansas City Star, the district paid tribute to these brilliant young lives in a heartfelt Facebook post, expressing how deeply this loss has affected the community.
“Three recent Climax Springs graduates were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident last evening after attending an away basketball game,” according to school district officials. Both Ava and Jayden were adored district workers who gave their time and skills to our students every day,” the school district wrote, adding:
“All of these individuals left a legacy within our school while they were students.”
Our staff and students will have access to counselors from the District on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Please remember us in your prayers and thoughts as the families and our community mourn the loss of lives that had so much more in store for them,” the post said.
had aspirations of teaching English.
According to a Daily Mail senior spotlight published in May, Corrado had aspirations of teaching English in high schools. According to a local dealership, Wolfe had purchased a Ford Bronco the day before the collision.
The dealership, Maples Ford, shared that “Ava was here just yesterday, full of joy and excitement as she drove home in her Bronco.” “It is absolutely unthinkable to be dealing with this devastating loss at this time.”
Ashley Butterfield wrote about her final moments of watching her daughter play basketball in a February 2022 Facebook post.
It has come to an end, she wrote, “watching these girls grow up, do what they love, laughing and cheering each other through tough games and always lifting each other up.” Numerous basketball camps, summer leagues, countless practice hours, post-game dinners, and pregame discussions… Everything is finished. I simply blinked, and it ended.
Ashley wrote, “Jayden, you are an incredible athlete, and I feel so fortunate to have followed you around for so long.” “I would repeat the entire process repeatedly.”
For the families of the girls, a fundraising page has also been created, and numerous donations have already been made. LaRessa LyVonne Cline, the person who initiated the fundraiser, writes the following:
These lovely individuals, who belonged to three separate families, have devastated the community. Prayers, love, and tears are insufficient during such times to even touch the wounded or mend the hearts of a small town.
Seatbelts were worn by four of the ten.
Along with the deaths, four people were hurt inside the SUV: a 39-year-old woman, an 18-year-old woman, and two 16-year-old Osceola girls. The injuries ranged from minor to serious. Additionally, the Corolla’s 38-year-old driver suffered severe injuries.
Only four of the ten individuals involved in the collision were wearing seatbelts, according to officials.
What a devastating loss 😞. Too soon, these young lives were taken. I hope they all find peace. I send their families my sincerest condolences. May God bless everyone.