SHREVEPORT, La. – Two communities are mourning the death of a Shreveport teenager who died in an UTV crash this weekend in rural Red River Parish. Seraphina Shaver, 14, died from injuries sustained in the crash. She was a student at Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport and the daughter of Shreveport firefighter Jake Shaver. Red River Parish Sheriff Glen Edwards said the crash happened around 3:30 p.m. Saturday on a private road in the Crichton community in the northwest part Red River Parish, where a family gathering was held. Four juveniles were on the UTV when the driver lost control on the gravel road, causing it to overturn. Seraphina was ejected. The other occupants were not seriously injured. No one was wearing a helmet, Edwards said. Seraphina was first put into a private vehicle and taken out to state Highway 515 to meet an ambulance. It headed to Shreveport but was met while en route by Life Air, which took her to Ochsner LSU Health hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Edwards said the cause of the crash is uncertain, but no alcohol was involved. A GoFundMe account has been created to assist the Shaver family with medical and funeral costs. “This family is so near and dear to my heart, and like yours, my heart is absolutely broken with the loss of Seraphina,” said Ashley McCutcheon, who organized the fundraiser. According to McCutcheon, one of Shaver’s siblings, Breanna, an eighth-grader, was also on the UTV and was injured. Seraphina was the middle child and in the 10th grade. “Jake has faithfully served this city as a Shreveport Firefighter and has dealt with the tragedies that come with his job; now Jake, Siobhann, Layla, Breanna, and the rest of their dear family are suffering one of their own. There are no words to describe this sudden and tragic loss,” she added.
BDC RADIO · News ARCHIVE
Shreveport teen dies in UTV crash in Red River Parish
Archived as originally published. Information reflects the date of this article.