VIDEO: Coach & Superintendent Speak Highly of Teen Killed in Crash

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The Columbus High School Community is mourning the loss of one of its own this evening.

16 year-old Columbus High softball player, Taylor Harris was killed in a wreck early Sunday morning on Highway 82.

We spoke with the Lady Falcon’s coach and the districts superintendent on just how much Harris meant to the community.

“Taylor was always one of those kids that reminded you that softball was supposed to be fun,” says Softball Coach Eric Thornton.

She was known as always having a smile on her face.

“She had her first home run just a few weeks ago, and that’s the picture I’ll always remember of her running around third base, and the smile on her face as she danced as she went by, like I said, if you were having a bad day, she was going to make you smile,” says Thornton.

Columbus High Softball Coach Eric Thornton says he’s still in shock over losing one of his own players.

“I’ve spent a lot of my day just sitting and just staring because I just don’t have words or the things to say right now,” says Thornton.

He had said goodbye to his players like it was any other day.

“After we played yesterday, we finished up here around 12pm and of course they were excited about a win and I told them ‘you know, you all go on and enjoy it, but be careful…'” says Thornton.

Unfortunately, at 3:45 Sunday morning, while Harris was driving eastbound on Highway 82, she apparently lost control of her vehicle and hit one of the pillars of Highway 45’s overpass.

Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant says Harris was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passenger in the vehicle, Keayra Hughes- a fellow teammate of Harris, was airlifted to NMMC and then taken to Memphis where her condition remains critical.

“We’re gonna take some time to just mourn, because we need to mourn, but then we’re also going to think back and enjoy you know the life that Taylor had and the friendship we had with her,” says Thornton.

Harris was only 16 but was considered a senior thanks to her academic achievements.

Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent, Dr. Phillip Hickman says this is a major loss for the community but they will move forward as one.

“As a school we have a strong family, and what we’re going to do is we’re obviously going to have counselors available for our students throughout the day,” says Hickman

“We keep the leadership, you know we keep the things that Taylor left us with,” says Thornton.

There is a balloon release scheduled for 7 tomorrow morning before the start of school and students have also planned a candlelight vigil at 7:30 in the evening at the Columbus Softball field.