Remembering young dancer killed in collision
Teen girl killed in crash was longtime member of Irish dance community
An “amazing leader and role model” was lost when a 16-yearold dancer from Saskatoon died Friday in a highway crash on her way to a competition in Calgary.
In social media posts on Sunday, the River City School of Irish Dance said Lauren Spence loved Irish dance and had been part of the Irish dance community for many years.
“Lauren was an amazing leader and role model for our younger dancers, always taking the time to teach them a new move or congratulate them on a job well done. She was our ray of sunshine; always bringing laughter and love into each class she attended,” the school said in the posts.
According to the posts, dancers who attended the Western Canadian Open performed on stage together in memory of Spence.
She was one of three people in a southbound vehicle that, according to RCMP, collided with a northbound SUV near Beiseker, less than an hour northeast of Calgary, on Friday night. It was hailing and raining heavily at the time.
Spence was pronounced dead at the scene while a 67-year-old woman from the vehicle was flown by air ambulance to a Calgary hospital with critical, potentially lifethreatening injuries. A 43-year-old woman from the vehicle was taken to Calgary by ground ambulance and was reported to be in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
According to River City School’s posts, the injured women were Lauren Spence’s mother and grandmother.
Spence was a student at Marion M. Graham Collegiate in Saskatoon’s Silverwood Heights neighbourhood. Public school division officials said parents were informed of her death in a letter that included suggestions for parents when talking to their children about the situation.
Counsellors and division staff were at the school on Monday to support students and staff.
The 58-year-old woman who was driving the northbound SUV was taken to local hospital in non-lifethreatening condition, RCMP said.
In an email, River City School of Irish Dance officials said the family declined to release a statement. With files from The Canadian Press and StarPhoenix files from Morgan Modjeski
Lauren was an amazing leader and role model for our younger dancers, always taking the time to teach them a new move ...