Tessa Walker, Park Kill, Missouri teen killed in Platte County car accident involving speeding high powered sports car after evening of drinking.
A Kansas City high school student was killed over the weekend after a high sports vehicle she was traveling in sped out of control, flipped several times before bursting into flames.
Tessa Walker, 18, was killed just after 4am Sunday when the BMW M4 she had been riding in crashed along a state highway in rural Missouri.
High powered BMW was speeding when it flipped
The Park Hill High School senior and four other teens were traveling southbound along State 45 Highway when the ‘speeding’ BMW veered off the road and flipped over.
The car erupted into flames as it lay topside in the grass, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office stated.
Walker died at the scene. The driver and his three other passengers were taken to a nearby hospital with varying injuries, some of which were said to be severe.
Teens had left birthday party where alcohol had been served
The tragedy came just hours after the teens attending a birthday party where alcohol had been served according to KMBC.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities to date have not filed any charges against the driver or any other teens involved, the Kansas City Star reported.
Walker’s father Drew, described her death as ‘cruel.’
‘For a girl to endure so much and then leave just as she was to be let loose into the world is a cruel and confusing thing. Rip Tessa bear,’ he wrote in a social media post announcing his daughter’s death.
In a separate post, Drew added: ‘You never belonged to this world anyway, Tess. But gd [sic] it’s gonna miss you.’
Walker leaves behind her father and four siblings, Jaxson, Trey, Elli and Kira. Her mother Amanda Webb passed away in 2020, aged 34.
Park Hill teen remembered
Walker was preparing to graduate this spring and attend Northwest Missouri State University in the fall, her obituary stated.
She excelled academically and had received several scholarships to help fund her continued education.
Walker was active on Park Hill High School’s volleyball, girls’ flag football and track teams. She also volunteered with the Midwest Innocence Project through the school’s Professional Studies program according to a release from the school district.
Park Hill teen killed in crash remembered as ‘dedicated student and talented athlete’
She was a member of the school’s AVID college readiness program, which prepares students in ‘the academic middle’ for ‘college eligibility and success,’ according to the school’s website. Walker’s work in the program earned her several honors and academic scholarships, including scholarships from Northwest Missouri State University, where she planned to attend in the fall.
Walker also worked with the Midwest Innocence Project, an organization that works to exonerate those wrongfully convicted of crimes in the region, through the school’s professional studies program. Walker’s LinkedIn page said she started as a law intern at the organization in January.
A candlelight vigil will be held in the teen’s honor on Saturday evening. A memorial service for Walker will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 30, at Vineyard Church, located at 12300 Northwest Arrowhead Traffcway.
