Glendale Community College softball player Elena Kramer, who was 19 years old, died in a car crash when she was on her way to school on the first day after the holidays.
On Monday morning, Elena Kramer was driving down Bouquet Canyon Road in Santa Clarita when she suddenly lost control of her 1999 Ford Mustang and collided with a tree, according to the California Highway Patrol.
‘She was driving southbound on Bouquet. We don’t know how fast she was going but, somehow, she lost control of the car. The right passenger side of the car hit the tree. She was the sole occupant, and there were no other vehicles involved that we know of. The impact goes all the way from the passenger side to the driver’s side. So she died on impact, most likely,’ Patrol Officer Jose Alhumada said.
The teenager graduated high school in 2014. She started to study at Glendale Community College this autumn. Kramer had received a softball scholarship at a university in West Virginia, but she stayed there only for one semester. Then the girl moved home. Her desire was to continue playing and she hoped to get an offer at another four-year school after a year in Glendale. The softball season was just about to start…
The college’s head softball coach, Sal Pizzo, who had coached her for a few years through ‘travel ball’ program was very emotional and sad about the death of the teenager.
‘As good of a player as she was, and she was a well-above-average player, she was even better a kid. Already many four-year schools were watching her. She just had that personality that makes friends really quickly — that’s what I remember most about her’, Pizzo said.
There was a team meeting on Wednesday and all the Kramer’s teammates were informed that they could talk to a grief counselor at the school’s health center if needed.
‘They’re all in shock. I understand them. It’s hard to realize you’ve lost someone that you have spent so much time together. I let them know there was support for them if anyone was having a problem or trouble with the situation,’ added Pizzo.
