Lauren Turner, a second-year player on the Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer team, has died nearly six weeks after she and a teammate were hit by a box truck while riding electric scooters on a road near campus. She was 19.
“Early this morning, our sweet Lauren fell asleep in the Lord,” her family wrote Friday on a GoFundMe page that had been started to help cover her medical costs. “Our hearts are broken, and our family is forever changed. We will miss her beyond measure, yet we take great comfort in knowing she is now in the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
A native of Tustin, Turner started playing soccer at age 4. She was a four-year varsity player at Beckman High, including two years as a team captain, and earned the team’s MVP award her junior year. As a freshman at Cal State Fullerton she played in all 20 games, starting in four, and finished with one goal and one assist. This season, she made eight starts in 10 games.
“As a dedicated soccer player, she was known for her encouragement, determination, and the way she lifted up those around her,” Turner’s family wrote. “Her teammates and coaches have shared countless stories of her positivity, humor, competitiveness, and leadership — reminders of the light she carried both on and off the field.
“As her family, we always knew the goodness and light that shone within her, but to hear others speak of it affirms what a true blessing she was to everyone who knew her.”
Lauren Turner was remembered by her Cal State Fullerton teammates as “the funniest, most charismatic, and loving teammate you could ever ask for.”
(Cal State Fullerton Athletics)
Turner and her Titans teammate Ashlyn Gwynn were riding electric scooters to a men’s soccer game around 7 p.m. Sept. 27 when they were struck by a box truck on Associated Road near Yorba Linda Blvd., according to the Fullerton Police Department.
Officers responding to the collision found two women “in the roadway with significant, life-threatening injuries,” a Fullerton police news release said.
First responders took the two, who were not wearing helmets, to a local trauma center. Alcohol and drugs did not appear to be a factor in the accident, the department said.
Kristy Wells, a public information specialist for the Fullerton police, said Tuesday that an investigation into the collision is still active and ongoing. No charges against the driver have been forwarded to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
According to an Oct. 30 update on a GoFundMe page started to assist with Gwynn’s medical bills, Gwynn had progressed enough after a month in ICU to be moved to a progressive care unit.
“Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous,” Gwynn’s family wrote.
A candlelight vigil in Turner’s memory will be held on Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium field 5:30 p.m. PST Wednesday.
“Lauren was the funniest, most charismatic, and loving teammate you could ever ask for,” Turner’s teammates from the 2025 soccer team said in a statement. “She was the first to celebrate other people’s wins. She is the true definition of an amazing person. She always carried herself with compassion, kindness, and happiness. The impact she made on the Titans women’s soccer program is immeasurable.
“She will be dearly missed by everyone but forever remembered by her Titan family. We love you Lauren, our No. 5 Forever.”
Times staff writer Andrew J. Campa contributed to this report.
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