A teenage girl in the United Kingdom was tragically killed in a car accident on Saturday and now her family is paying tribute to her lost life.
Laionie Kennard, 18, was described by her loved ones as a "princess" who would be sorely missed after she perished when the vehicle she was a passenger in was involved in an accident that resulted in the car going off the road, the U.K. Independent reported.
The incident occurred around 9:30 pm Saturday night on a road north of Bournemouth and though emergency workers attempted to save Kennard she was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
In a statement released through the Dorset Police, the family of Kennard said, "Laionie was our princess. She was the most kind, caring daughter and sister we could ever have wished for."
"Her smile would light up a room, and she was loved by so many. I cannot explain in words just how much she is going to be missed," the statement continued.
A GoFundMe account was set up to assist the Kennard family with funeral expenses and has already raised nearly £22,000, for which the family expressed deep gratitude.
"We would like to thank everyone for their kind and generous donations at this unbelievably hard time, our girl will have the send off she deserves. We will love you forever the brightest star in the sky, our Laionie," the family's statement added.
The BBC reported on Monday that three people, two men and a woman, all of whom are 18, had been arrested on "suspicion of driving offenses" immediately after the incident Saturday night in which the BMW Kennard was traveling in had ended up wrecked off the road.
Those three individuals had been released from custody by Monday but remained under investigation for the accident that also caused varying injuries to three other occupants of the crashed vehicle.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the police are urging members of the public to come forward if they have any information or video of the incident to help determine exactly what happened and who, if anybody, is at fault for the tragic death of the young woman.
The U.K. Sun reported that in addition to the statement from Kennard's family, a statement about her death was also released by the Dorset Police.
"The thoughts of the investigation team and everyone at Dorset Police remain with the family and friends of Laionie Kennard," Sgt. Mike Gatfield, of the Roads Policing Team, said.
"We are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the collision and I am appealing to any witnesses who have not already spoken to police, or anyone with relevant dashcam footage, to please come forward," he continued.
Gatfield added, "We would ask that there is no speculation online about this very sad incident while officers continue their detailed enquiries."
