A Las Cruces High School volleyball player died in an accident while traveling from Las Cruces to Midland to participate in a volleyball tournament.
Samantha Bartham, 14, was killed on March 1 in Ward County, Texas, near Pecos.
At 9:32 p.m., a previous crash that blocked both lanes of Interstate 10 East left a car without headlights stuck in the roadway. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the driver of the vehicle transporting Barsum did not see the car and collided with it.
Barsom and the drivers of both vehicles were taken to Ward Memorial Hospital in Monahans, Texas, where Barsom was pronounced dead.
This accident is still under investigation.
The volleyball world mourns the death of Samantha Bartham.
In the volleyball world, Brusum is remembered as a kind and intelligent girl who was determined to win and never missed practice.
Aronda Dominguez, head coach of the Traveling Volleyball Development Team, said Barsum is on her way to the team's tournament in Midland on Saturday.
“Samantha was a light on and off the court,” Dominguez said. “She was everything a coach would want in a player.”
Dominguez said when she heard that Brusum had died on the way to the tournament, she didn't know how to tell the other players.
“We weren't ready to tell them that,” she said. “We called a meeting to inform the girls and console them.”
Dominguez said the team ended up playing a tournament in Brusum's honor.
Social media posts also remember the teenager, who was a graduate of Las Cruces Catholic School. According to her post, she graduated from the school last year and is currently a freshman at Las Cruces High School.
“Sam was a wonderful young woman who always had a smile on her face,” the post said.
Las Cruces High School also posted about Barsum, saying she was a friend to everyone and a great athlete and student.
Dominguez said Brusum's number 15 will be retired.
“She was a force of nature,” Dominguez said. “She was ready to change the world. She wanted to be a lawyer helping people. She was a go-getter type of girl.”
