Rising pageant star and noted humanitarian Kadance Fredericksen tragically lost her life in a Florida traffic accident on Monday afternoon. The 18-year-old Miss Okaloosa County Teen representative for Miss Florida Teen USA 2024 was killed when her vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer in Santa Rosa County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Fredericksen was traveling west on State Road 4 when her sedan “crossed the center line and entered the eastbound lane” for unknown reasons, resulting in a head-on collision around 1:30 p.m. The impact caused the tractor-trailer to overturn, spilling woodchips and approximately 100 gallons of fuel onto the roadway. The 56-year-old truck driver from Milton sustained minor injuries, according to WEAR News.
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“We are still in the early stages of the investigation and ask that we all take a moment for this family as well as others who have lost a loved one to a traffic crash,” authorities said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The Miss Florida USA community mourned her loss in a heartfelt Instagram tribute, writing, “It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we share the passing of one of our beloved delegates, Kadance Fredericksen. Our pageant community has lost a beautiful soul – one who was a true light in this world. She was ambitious, driven, kind, and a leader among her pageant sisters.” They added, “May we honor her memory by carrying forward the light she so effortlessly shared with the world and our Florida pageant community. Forever our Queen.”
Beyond her pageant achievements, Fredericksen was known for her humanitarian work. In 2017, she founded Kada’s Promise, an organization providing teddy bears and blankets to children in foster care, homeless shelters, abuse shelters, and hospitals. Her impact extended to raising over $25,000 for the Ronald McDonald House during her pageant career, and she was the youngest person ever to receive Crestview’s Citizen of the Year award, an honor she earned twice (Parade).
Brittany Aldean, who judged the Miss Florida Teen USA pageant, shared her memories of Fredericksen, writing in her Instagram Stories, “What an honor it was to meet Kadance. I vividly remember her advocating for children despite her young age. Her personality, beauty and selflessness were only a fraction of why so many people were drawn to her… An amazing girl, gone too soon. Heaven sure did gain a beautiful angel.”
A senior at Baker School, Fredericksen had recently received nine college acceptances and was planning to pursue a career as a veterinarian. Her mother, Lisa, described her as “the light” of her and her husband’s lives. The Baker School remembered her in a Facebook post as “a beacon of light in our community, known for her compassion, tireless advocacy for children in need, and unwavering dedication to making a difference,” calling it a “heartbreaking time.”
Her pageant coach, Michelle Watts, reflected on Fredericksen’s enduring impact, saying, according to WKRG, “Even though she passed away at 18 years old, literally, her life story and her life start song still sings… She is going to have such a legacy behind her.” A GoFundMe has been established to help her family continue her “impactful legacy” through Kada’s Promise.
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