Cal State Fullerton’s women’s soccer coach is pushing for more college sports teams to implement helmet rules for athletes on e-bikes and e-scooters after a box truck hit and seriously injured two of his players who were riding e-scooters in September.
Lauren Turner and Ashlyn Gwynn, both sophomores on the soccer team, were riding e-scooters to a men’s soccer game around 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, when a box truck struck them near Associated Road and Yorba Linda Boulevard, police said.
Officers found the women in the street with “significant, life threatening injuries” before they were hospitalized. Turner and Gwynn were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash, coach Demian Brown said Wednesday.
As of Oct. 6, Turner, a 2024 graduate of Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine, and Gwynn remain in the intensive care unit, their families wrote on GoFundMe. Turner’s family wrote that she is “battling severe head trauma.”
Brown said both players have had “little successes and little wins” since they’ve been at the hospital, but didn’t specify what their recovery process will look like.
Since the crash, Brown implemented a rule requiring his players to wear helmets whenever they ride e-scooters and e-bikes. Coaches of other NCAA women’s soccer teams, who have reached out to express their sympathy and support for Turner and Gwynn’s injuries, told Brown they’ve also required their athletes to wear helmets after learning of the collision.
Brown hopes to spread awareness of the dangers of not wearing a helmet to other programs within Cal State Fullerton athletics and throughout the NCAA.
“We don’t want another program or another player or another student to have to suffer what we’re suffering right now,” Brown said.
Brown said he visited the hospital after receiving a call hours after the crash that his players had been hurt. He’s continued to visit, spending time with Turner and Gwynn’s families and coordinating travel for Gwynn’s family, who are from Utah.
University President Ronald Rochon and administrators from the school’s athletics department have also visited the hospital to meet with and express their support for the players’ families, Brown said.
Brown said Turner, a defensive midfielder, and Gwynn, a forward, are strong soccer players and people.
“Two of the most fantastic kids you’ll ever want to meet,” Brown said. “Both incredibly caring, incredibly genuine in how they interact, communicate and respond to their teammates.”
On the field, he said Turner is talented and technical, while Gwynn is one of the fastest players for the Titans.
During the Titans’ 10-0-2 season so far, Brown said his team adopted the motto “Let’s do hard things,” meaning his players will recognize the difficulty of the challenges they’re facing, but still persevere. That motto rings true as his players continue practicing and playing while worrying about their teammates and friends in the hospital.
“I am in complete awe of our players and our program for how well they’ve handled this hard thing,” Brown said. “I’m very, very impressed with them.”
Loved ones of Turner have raised more than $97,000 as of Wednesday evening, Oct. 8, through a GoFundMe created to help her family with medical bills and other expenses during her recovery. A GoFundMe for Gwynn’s family has raised more than $56,000.
Turner, of Tustin, is determined and has a strong love for school, soccer and church, her family wrote on GoFundMe. She planned to study kinesiology when she started at Cal State Fullerton, according to the university’s athletics site.
“If you know Lauren, you know she is one of the toughest people out there,” her family wrote. “Seeing her in this condition is something no family can ever be prepared for.”
Gwynn, of Farr West, Utah, is extroverted and can make anyone smile, her family wrote on GoFundMe. Family said Gwynn is a great player and teammate at Cal State Fullerton and has excelled this season. She also planned to study kinesiology when she started at Cal State Fullerton, the athletics site said.
“She is always looking to do good in this world and to brighten the lives of others,” Gwynn’s family wrote. “You will always know where to find her, as she loves being around people, making them laugh, and making herself known.”
The crash remains under investigation, and police said no further details were available. Investigators don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash.
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