The rodeo community has lost a rising star.
Emm Brungardt, who won the 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas Pageant, died in a car accident Oct. 4, her school Colby Community College confirmed. She was 19.
“Last night,” the school’s Facebook post said of Emma, “her along with 4 other team members and our work study were involved in a car accident. Unfortunately Emma did not walk away from this. We are praying for all families involved.”
“Emma was a sweet soul who picked up other people and always had a positive attitude,” the statement continued. “Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena.”
According to a crash report from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Emma was one of six passengers in a pickup truck driven by an 18-year-old man which left the roadway while navigating an intersection of a private drive before crashing into a tree row. The report notes the truck flipped over before it came to rest upright.
According to The Wichita Eagle, the vehicle also contained four of Emma’s Colby Rodeo teammates.
