18-year-old woman who died in Sacramento’s second scooter crash in week identified

An 18-year-old woman died at a hospital after being struck by a vehicle while riding a scooter Wednesday evening in south Sacramento. It was the second deadly scooter accident in the city in less than a week.

Officers responded to a report of a crash in the Valley Hi / North Laguna neighborhood near Franklin Boulevard and Cosumnes River Boulevard just after 6:15 p.m., less than a mile from Cosumnes River College. The woman riding the scooter was transported to a hospital and later died, according to Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, who said they didn’t believe the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The area was temporarily closed to cars while the major collision investigation unit and crime scene investigators processed the scene.

The woman was identified as Kaylee Xiong, 18, of Sacramento. According to Facebook posts, Xiong had just started her first semester at Sacramento State after graduating from Valley High School in the spring.

On Thursday morning, her grieving father posted a heartfelt message to his daughter on his Facebook page hours after she died.

“Tonight, my world is so much darker without you in my life. I always prayed for God to give me a heart big enough to love you and your brother,” Johnny Vamtsheej Vang wrote in the Facebook post that included a high school graduation photo of his daughter. “But tonight my heart is filled with so much sorrow knowing that when I wake up I won’t see you again.”

The father thanked family and friends of the first-year Sacramento State student, those who prayed and continue to pray for his daughter.

“Daddy loves you so much,” he wrote in the Facebook post. “You have finished your race. I truly believe the Lord has welcomed you with open arms and told you ‘well done.’ Daddy will see you one day.”

Officials at Valley High and the Elk Grove Unified School District said they were “devastated” to hear of Xiong’s death.

Brandy Shearer, a Valley High teacher in graphic design and one of Xiong’s favorite teachers, remembered her former student as a great friend to her classmates. The teacher also said she was a great sister to her baby sister, sharing photos of the little girl daily, and to her brother, Nicholas, who also was an “amazing” Valley High graphic design student.

“Kaylee Xiong was one of those students every teacher dreams of having in their class, and I was lucky enough to have her in mine for three years,” Shearer said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. “She was smart, witty, funny, inspiring, helpful to her peers and to me. I looked forward to seeing her every day and I will miss her dearly.”

“Our heart breaks for Kaylee’s family, and we will remember her always.”

The previous fatal collision involving a scooter rider occurred Aug. 29, six days prior, in the 1200 block of Alhambra Boulevard near Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento. There, a 32-year-old Geohaira Sosa was struck and killed while riding a scooter. Sosa was a first-year resident physician in UC Davis Medical Center’s psychiatry department.

Earlier this week, Sacramento police conducted a public safety awareness operation as part of Pedestrian Safety Month in California. The goal for police was to remind drivers to slow down and be alert for people walking on roads. Police said the operation resulted in 54 traffic stops and 49 citations.

“Every step we take towards greater pedestrian safety is a step towards saving lives,” Sacramento police Sgt. Kenneth Collier said in a news release. “We want to remind everyone that safety begins with you, whether you’re behind the wheel or on foot. Small actions, like slowing down, putting away distractions and yielding at crosswalks, can make a life-saving difference.”