UPDATED TUESDAY:

A 2017 Columbus East graduate who had just started classes at Indiana University in Bloomington died in a two-vehicle accident on State Road 46 West in Brown County on Sept. 14.

Kate Beckley, 18, Columbus, died at the scene of the crash on Schooner Hill near the west gate entrance to Brown County State Park.

Her car, a 1996 Chrysler Sebring, crossed the center line traveling west when she lost control for an unknown reason. Shortly after 9:30 a.m., she struck an eastbound Wagler Trucking tri-axle dump truck driven by Anthony Wagler, 44, of Nashville, Brown County sheriff’s deputies said. The truck was not loaded, the sheriff’s department reported.

Wagler was not injured but was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw, which is a standard procedure in fatal crashes, deputies said.

Columbus East counselor Brian Hansen had worked with Beckley as she prepared for college this year. He recalled that Beckley had spent her first two years of high school at Columbus North and then did online courses her junior year. She enrolled at East for her senior year and was a member of the tennis team.

“She had excellent grades and got along with everybody,” he said.

Beckley had served as a cadet teacher during her senior year with Genevra Dewhirst at East. Her teacher thought she might be considering a career in education.

“She was lovely,” Dewhirst said. “One of the things I really liked about her was how genuine she was — how she cared about people.”

Beckley was one of the few people who would ask a teacher if they were having a bad day, Dewhirst said. “She could read people that way,” she said.

“What I liked about her was just how positive she was,” Dewhirst said. “When she struggled a little with her senior project, she just said, ‘I’ll figure it out.’ She was just positive about it. There was a lightness about her — she was really kind and gentle.”

Brown County Coroner Earl Piper said Beckley died at the accident scene of massive blunt force trauma, with multiple injuries.

Arrangements are pending for Beckley are pending at Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Home in Columbus.

Assisting at the scene were the Nashville Police Department, Indiana State Police, Jackson Township and Nashville volunteer fire departments and Columbus Regional Health ambulance.

UPDATED FRIDAY:

An 18-year-old woman from Columbus died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash on State Road 46 West when her Chrysler Sebring collided with a dump truck.

Kate Beckley, 18, was driving west around 9:30 a.m. on the highway near the Brown County State Park west gate when she lost control of her car “for an unknown reason,” the Brown County Sheriff’s Department reported.

She crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Wagler Trucking tri-axle dump truck driven by Anthony Wagler, 44, of Nashville, in the eastbound lane, the sheriff’s department said.

Beckley died at the scene of blunt force trauma, according to Brown County Coroner Earl Piper.

Wagler was not injured.

Traffic on the busy highway was rerouted to county roads for several hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.

The cause remains under investigation.

Wagler was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw, as is standard procedure on fatal crashes, the Brown County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Assisting agencies included the Nashville Police Department, Indiana State Police, Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department, Nashville Volunteer Fire Department and Columbus Regional Health Ambulance Service.

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