|
Coalinga - A Chico State University student from the San Luis Obispo area was killed Tuesday morning (1/16/2018) while she was driving back to school after winter break.
Paso Robles resident Brittni Frace, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol. Her older sister, Brynn Frace, also a Chico State student, was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno with major injuries.
Brittni Frace, a 2016 Atascadero High School graduate, was on the track and cross country teams at Chico State. She was killed and her older sister critically injured when they collided with a semi truck on Highway 198 on the way to Chico State. After stopping for gas near Interstate 5, Brynn Frace, who was driving a 2004 Chevy Tahoe, stopped at an intersection before attempting to turn east onto Highway 198 in front of a semi heading west. The semi, driven by Terry Lee Keeling of Exeter, hit the left side of the Tahoe. Keeling, who was traveling about 40 mph at the time, was uninjured in the crash. Both sisters were wearing seatbelts, the CHP said. |
|
The death sent shock waves through the San Luis Obispo County running community, where both Frace sisters were well-known, said Atascadero High School coach Roger Warnes.
“It’s just a shock to everybody and anyone who knew the Frace family,” Warnes said. “They are two of the most positive, giving and kind ladies you will ever meet.”
Warnes had just spent four days with the sisters at the Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon and Half-Marathon in Phoenix.
Both sisters were standout distance runners at Atascadero under Warnes.
Brittni was the school record holder in the mile and named to the All County and All League teams. Brynn, who had recently transferred from Humboldt State to Chico State to be with her sister, was also a “fantastic runner and human being” and was training for her first marathon. Warnes said Brynn was “currently unresponsive” but that “we are hoping that (she) is going to somehow pull out of this, but it’s going to take a lot of prayers.” Warnes was driving to Fresno to be with the family when he spoke to The Tribune. He said the two were driving back to Chico State to get ready for the start of the spring semester on Thursday. |
|
| Brynn Frace passes away two days after crash that took sister's life | |
|
Northern San Luis Obispo County is mourning the loss of two of its own.
Sisters Brittni and Brynn Frace died this week as a result of a car accident on Tuesday.
The crash happened near Coalinga on Highway 198 just west of Interstate 5. Brittni died at the scene. A spokesperson with Fresno Community Regional Medical Center confirmed to KSBY that Brynn passed away on Thursday.
The sisters attended Chico State. Brittni was an exercise physiology major. She was also on the cross country and track and field team. Brynn was studying civil engineering.
Both young women were accomplished athletes in high school.
"Always positive, never, never negative, supportive of her teammates," said former Atascadero High School track and cross county coach David Donati said of Brittni early Thursday. "An exemplary student, an exemplary athlete." He said students are having a hard time coping with the accident. "Walking around campus and having kids in classes, I think there's just a numbness, you just see kind of kids in a daze," Donati said. |
|
A memorial has been set up at the flagpole on the football field, adorned with bright flowers, running shoes, and pictures.
"You know when you're around positive people it's hard to be negative and that's the type of person (Brittni) was, and that's the part I'm really gonna miss," Donati said.
The sisters were returning to Chico State on Tuesday when the crash happened. According to the California Highway Patrol, Brynn turned into the path of a semi-truck while leaving a gas station.
| |