Former Louisiana State University basketball star Danielle Ballard was struck and killed by a car last week after she tried to cross the road with her eyes close while suffering from pepper spray.
Memphis police said the tragic incident happened at Coleman Road and Raleigh-Lagrange Road around 1:30 a.m.
An eye witness claimed she saw Danielle trying to cross the road while a speeding car was approaching when they screamed for her to move she mentioned that she was pepper sprayed and hence couldn’t see. Douglass continued that by the time they made sense of her statement and tried to help, the unfortunate had already happened. The 29-year-old Danielle was pronounced dead after she was rushed to a nearby hospital, while the driver was still present, he was on a 70 mph at the time of the accident.
ISU Sports has details;
Danielle Ballard, a standout basketball player for LSU from 2012-15, passed away after a tragic accident in Memphis.
Ballard spent three years at LSU, earning first team All-SEC honors in 2015. She averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists during her LSU career. She earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2013 and was twice named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Ballard, a native of Shelby County, Tennessee, helped the Tigers to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances at the NCAA Tournament.
Statement from LSU
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Danielle. She meant a great deal to our program and was such a big part of our women’s basketball family. It’s difficult to understand why this happened to someone who was so full of life and had so much promise. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
The police are currently investigating to determine the fate of the driver. However, at the time of the tragic incident, Danielle had no record of a husband or a child. She is estimated to be worth about $500K to $1 million.
May her soul rest well!