THOMAS COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - A single-vehicle crash took the life of Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas 2024 and left five others injured on Friday night near Colby.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says around 9:45 p.m. Friday, a Ford F250 Pickup was traveling southbound on County Road 21 near the intersection with County Road CC when it left the roadway and struck a tree row. The pickup came to rest upright.

The KHP says 19-year-old Emma Brungardt – Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas 2024 – was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver and four others, ranging in age from 18 to 20, were taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

In a social media post on Saturday, Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant says Brungardt was “a true gem and horsewoman who embodied what it meant to be a rodeo queen, always going above and beyond what was expected of her.”

The organization says they will miss Brungardt’s “contagious smile and one-in-a-million personality.”

Brungardt, originally from Blue Rapids, was a sophomore at Colby Community College and an equine management and production major.

Colby CC Rodeo says, “Emma was a sweet soul who picked up other people and always had a positive attitude. Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena.”

Services for Emma are pending.

A candlelight vigil will be held Sunday evening on the Blue Rapids Square.

THOMAS COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - One teenager has died and five others were hurt after a crash near Colby Friday evening.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says around 9:45 p.m. Friday, a Ford F250 Pickup was traveling southbound on County Road 21 near the intersection with County Road CC when it left the roadway and struck a tree row. The pickup came to rest upright.

Emma Brungardt, 19, of Blue Rapids, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver and four others, ranging in age from 18 to 20, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.