A North Texas community is grieving the sudden loss of 16-year-old soccer standout Elizabeth Angle, who died Sunday after a sledding accident during a rare and dangerous winter storm that swept across the state. Angle, a sophomore at Wakeland High School in Frisco and a defender for the school’s team as well as the FC Dallas 2009G club team, was riding on a sled pulled by a Jeep when it crashed, police said. A second 16-year-old girl — her best friend — was critically injured and remains hospitalized.

Frisco Police say the accident happened just before 2:30 p.m. in a neighborhood when the sled hit a curb during a sharp turn and collided with a tree. Both girls were rushed to local hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Angle did not survive. No arrests have been announced, and authorities said Tuesday the incident remains under investigation.

The loss has left teammates, classmates, and neighbors devastated. On Facebook, her mother, Megan, described Elizabeth as “a bright light, a fun spirit, a brave soul,” and noted that she had just earned her driver’s license and bought a car. “She had her whole life ahead of her. It was all taken away so abruptly in a sledding accident yesterday. Life is fleeting and precious,” she wrote, adding a plea: “Please lift her up in prayer.”

Her club coach, Luis Ramos, honored her resilience, remembering how she fought back from a broken ankle earlier in her playing career. “She knew what it meant to stand her ground. To take the hit. To protect what mattered,” he wrote. Ramos ended his tribute with a statement of faith shared by many in the grieving community: “We believe this: God called her home not in defeat, but in victory. Still guarding. Still strong. Now standing watch from a higher ground.”

The freak accident was one of dozens across the region as Winter Storm Fern turned streets, lawns, and parks into sheets of ice — not snow. Dr. Taylor Louden of Cook Children’s Medical Center warned that sledding on ice can be catastrophic because “sleds have no brakes” and riders have little control. Over the weekend, at least 52 children were treated for sledding injuries ranging from broken bones to head trauma.

As friends and family gather to pray, mourn, and remember Angle’s short but radiant life, many are holding to the hope of the Gospel — that in Christ, death does not have the final word. In the words of her coach, they are choosing to believe that Elizabeth’s story continues “from a higher ground.”

UPDATE: A second teenage girl involved in the sledding accident has died from her injuries. Frisco police confirmed Wednesday, January 28th  that 16-year-old Grace Brito passed away at a local hospital after remaining in critical condition. Grace and Elizabeth Angle — who was previously identified as the first victim — were best friends and were riding together on the sled when the crash occurred.

Grace’s mother, Tracy Brito, shared that her daughter had recently received her driver’s license and was excited to sign up as an organ donor. “We are still here going through the organ donation process to honor Gracie’s wishes,” Brito told FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth. “She was a selfless person who always wanted to make others smile and happy. God took a good one away far too soon.” Elizabeth’s mother, Megan Angle, echoed that sentiment, writing on Facebook that she finds comfort knowing the girls are “in heaven together,” calling them “such beautiful girls.”