“When we got news of this incident, a part of me died. These girls were like family.”
Even rival schools reached out, posting messages of sympathy, wearing purple ribbons, and sending care packages.
Lauren’s passing became a collective grief felt beyond her team — stretching across the athletic department, the campus, and far into the wider Fullerton community.
A Safety Policy Inspired by Loss
In the weeks following the accident, Cal State Fullerton head coach Demian Brown made a decision he hopes will save lives in the future:
a mandatory helmet requirement for all soccer players riding electric scooters.
Brown explained that this policy reflects a growing trend among college athletic programs across the country.
“So many schools, so many programs have initiated their own helmet rules for their teams,” Brown said.
“If anything good can come out of this tragedy, we want it to be the safety of another student, another athlete, another teammate.”
The goal is simple — to ensure that no team ever has to endure a loss like this again.
A Legacy That Lives On
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