The students and faculty at the Climax Springs School District are grieving after the loss of three former students. Those recent high school graduates lost their lives on the way home from a basketball game.
The accident that took the lives of four individuals occurred on Friday evening, February 21. Three recently graduated high school students were heading home after watching a basketball game when the crash took place.
It happened around 8 PM when a 49-year-old man driving a 2025 Toyota Corolla ran a stop sign as he was heading south on US Highway 54. He was hit by a GMC Terrain heading east. The 38-year-old man driving the GMC died at the scene.
Three young passengers in the Corolla, Ava Wolfe, Jayden Butterfield, and Violet Corado also all lost their lives. The Corolla was sent off the road and crashed into a fence post and a tree before coming to rest.
The district posted a tribute on Facebook for the former students who were lost in the accident. The post read: “Last evening, after attending an away basketball game, three recent Climax Springs graduates were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident. Ava and Jayden were both beloved employees of the district, who dedicated their time and talent to our students each day.
“As students, all of these individuals left a legacy within our school.
“The District will host counselors for our students and staff on Monday and Tuesday of next week. As the families and our community grieve the loss of lives which held many great things ahead of them, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.”
Ashley Butterfield had posted in February 2022 to speak about her daughter as she played her final basketball game.
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 has come to an end.
“Many basketball camps, summer leagues, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours in practice, after-game meals, and pregame talks… It’s all over. I just blinked and it’s over.”
LaRessa LyVonne Cline started a fundraiser to help the girl’s families. She wrote: “These beautiful souls were part of three different families and have left the community devastated. In times like these, there aren’t enough prayers, love or tears that could even touch the hurt or heal the hearts of a small town.”
Along with the four individuals who died in the accident, four passengers inside the SUV were also injured. Those injuries ranged from minor to serious. The driver of the Corolla also sustained serious injuries.
According to officials, only four out of the 10 people involved in the collision were wearing seatbelts.
