PORTLAND, Oregon — The family of a 24-year-old Vancouver woman says erratic driving led to her death in a boating accident.
Kaileigh Seidel was killed on Saturday on the Willamette River near the Hawthorne Bridge. Her family told KGW that Kaileigh and her friend her invited to go boating and tubing with some people they didn’t know well. Kaileigh was in a tube being pulled by the boat when the accident happened.
"The driver who was driving very fast and recklessly, he just drove her into another boat. She hit the boat, and she died immediately, to my knowledge," said Aliyah Seidel, Kaileigh’s younger sister.
The accident happened just before 8 p.m. on June 22. Kaileigh was transported to the hospital after being pulled from the water, but the family tells KGW she most likely died at the scene.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is investigating the incident. MCSO said that the case will be sent to the District Attorney’s Office; after the investigation, it will then be determined if any charges will be filed.
Kaileigh Seidel is remembered by her family as someone who would light up any room she walked into.
"She had a beautiful smile, and she just touched so many lives," said Aliyah Seidel.
The family is finding comfort in the outpouring of support from people who knew Kaileigh.
A GoFundMe raising money for funeral costs has risen to over $40,000 as of Thursday.
People have also sent messages and shared memories of the 24-year-old.
"We read them, and we look at them, and it gives us a little bit of solace maybe that we are looking for. The amount of support from everybody is just amazing," said Rachelle Hunsperger, Kaileigh’s aunt.
As the healing process begins, Aliyah Seidel shared with KGW what she would say to her sister if she could speak to her one last time:
"I would just tell her how much I love her and how much I really care for her because she told me all of the time. She told me she loved me more than anything and that she would die for me, and I wish I could have expressed that more to her."