An 18-year-old beauty pageant queen tragically lost her life in a devastating car crash on a Florida highway. Kadence Frederickson, a former Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA from Baker, Florida, was identified on Tuesday as the victim of a fatal accident that occurred the previous day.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Frederickson was driving along Highway 4 when her sedan collided head-on with a tractor-trailer operated by a 56-year-old man, Daily Mail reported.
Authorities are still investigating the crash, and no arrests have been made in connection with Frederickson’s death.
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Frederickson first gained attention in 2017 when she launched Kada’s Promise, a charity that provided teddy bears and blankets to children in foster care, homeless shelters, abuse shelters, and hospitals.
In a 2019 interview with WEAR News, she shared that her own childhood struggles with homelessness and abuse inspired her to help others. She was eventually taken in by her father and adoptive mother.
On her charity’s website, she recalled how a single teddy bear, given to her as a gift, was her only source of comfort during difficult times. “I carried him with me from house to house, couch to couch, and clutched him tightly in the scariest times. It is from these memories that Kada’s Promise was born.”
Frederickson was a senior at Baker School, where her passing was met with heartfelt tributes from the school community.
A former Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA, she had a passion for pageantry, competing at various levels throughout her life. In 2017, she was crowned Little Miss Northwest Florida, and just last year, she participated in the Miss Teen Florida competition.
Tragically, just a week before her passing, Frederickson shared on Instagram her excitement about receiving a scholarship to support her college education.
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