Miss Teen USA Contestant Kadance Fredericksen Dead at 18

Teen beauty queen Kadance Fredericksen has died after a horrific car crash, E! News reports. She was 18.

Authorities told E! that Kadance was driving her sedan in Santa Rosa County, Florida, on February 17 when she crossed into the oncoming lane for “unknown reasons.” She hit a tractor trailer head-on around 1:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene.

WKRG News adds that the tractor trailer turned on its passenger side, dumping wood chips and 100 gallons in fuel.

E! reports the 56-year-old driver of the truck sustained minor injuries.

Kadance's adopted mother Lisa Fredericksen shared a heartbreaking final detail, telling People, "She was literally three minutes from home. I have no idea what happened."

Fredericksen was the winner of Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA 2024 and a delegate in Miss Florida Teen USA 2024.

According to WKRG she was a student at Baker School in Okaloosa County. Her family shared that she had been accepted to nine colleges and hoped to become a veterinarian. 

Lisa tells People, “She had the whole world right there in her hands, “and she was ready to take it on.”

Fredericksen was the founder of Kada’s Promise, which she started to provide teddy bears and blankets for children in foster care, shelters, and hospitals. Her family plans to continue the organization in her honor.

On the website, she wrote about how she was once in an “abusive situation” as a young child and shared, “I am so blessed that my pain was temporary and now I get to use my story to temporarily take someone else’s pain away.​"​​​

The site says, “Pageantry played a pivotal role in Kadance's personal development, fostering her confidence, self-esteem, and public speaking abilities over the past seven years. Her triumph as Little Miss Northwest Florida in 2017 served as a platform to amplify her advocacy for the Ronald McDonald House, culminating in a remarkable fundraising effort exceeding $25,000. Currently holding the esteemed title of Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA, Kadance continues to inspire and make a positive impact in her community and beyond.”

Kadance’s family wants to continue the mission of Kada’s Promise, and they are asking everyone to bring stuffed animals to her upcoming funeral as donations.

"We want the whole world to know who Kadance is," Lisa tells People. “We want to continue touching as many lives as we can, even though she's not here.”