The victim who died in an incomprehensible sledding incident was identified as 16-year-old rising soccer star, Elizabeth Angle. The accident happened over the weekend during a rare winter storm in Texas.
Freak Sledding Accident
On Sunday, January 25, 2026, around 2:30 p.m., Angle and one of her teammates went sledding on the back of a 16-year-old boy’s Jeep Wrangler that they hitched, according to relatives and the Frisco Police Department. Neither of the other’s involved in the incident, including the teammate who was injured, had been named in the beginning.
The sled crashed into a curb and collided with a tree during a sharp turn. Frisco Police Officers were sent to the scene after an uninvolved party reported the incident. Once they arrived, they found the two 16-year-old girls who were suffering from life-threatening injuries. Officials began administering life-saving measures, and the girls were taken to the hospital, where Angle succumbed to her injuries, and the other remains in critical condition.
According to Frisco police, this is an ongoing investigation. With the help of the Denton County District Attorney’s Office, they will determine if anyone involved should face charges. The victims’ names were not initially released until the following day, when authorities named the deceased as Elizabeth Angle, a sophomore at Wakeland High School.
She was a devoted soccer player who played on the junior varsity team. In the off-season, she continued her passion for the sport by competing for the FC Dallas 2009G club team.
Family and Friends React
Angle’s mother told Fox4 that her daughter just acquired her driver’s license and was looking forward to spending he snowy weekend with her friends. Her mother described her as “a bright light, a fun spirit, a brave soul.” Angle’s club soccer coach, Luis Ramos, wrote on Facebook that she had a “calm voice,” even on a rowdy field. “She knew what it meant to stand her ground. To take the hit. To protect what mattered,” he said.
Ramos mentioned the time Angle suffered a broken ankle one season, and he said the “healing tested her patience,” so she became more resilient. “She came back stronger, not just in body, but in heart. And now…though the field feels different, though the back line feels empty, we believe this: God called her home not in defeat, but in victory. Still guarding. Still strong. Now standing watch from a higher ground,” he wrote.
A freshman at Wakland High School, Nathaniel Lisotta, lives in the neighborhood where the sledding accident occurred. He saw the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulances shortly after it happened. “Thirty seconds before they were probably all laughing, screaming how much fun and just like that it’s not fun anymore,” Lisotta said. “Thirty minutes after it happened, we walked by the scene. Saw ambulances and police cars.“
Another neighbor, Sachin Makhija, added that “It’s just heartbreaking. I cannot even imagine what the family is going through.”
“We will never be the same,” Angle’s mother said.
In Loving Memory
Angle’s family, friends, and the residents of the community created a memorial to honor her life. They decorated the tree, dressing it in pink and green ribbons, forming bows, and laying beautiful, lively florals on the ground.
“Please keep her parents, sisters, teammates, and coaches from both school and club, friends, classmates, teachers, and community in your thoughts and prayers during this time of grief,” the Wakeland Soccer Team wrote on X.
Wakeland High School Principal Donna Edge wrote a letter to Angle’s parents saying, “Our entire campus community is impacted by this tragedy.” She added that, “During her time as a Wolverine, Elizabeth participated in soccer and was well-liked by peers and teachers.”
