18-year-old nursing student dies after truck slams into her moped, Texas police say

An 18-year-old college student was killed in a crash on Sunday, Oct. 9, as she was attempting to cross the street on a moped, according to Texas officials.

The crash happened around 6 p.m. in Lubbock. Kaila Riojas was traveling on a moped when she collided with a pickup truck in an intersection, according to the Lubbock Police Department.

Riojas suffered “serious injuries” in the crash, and she died at University Medical Center, police said.

The driver of the truck was uninjured. Police said they continue to investigate the crash and no charges have been filed.

Riojas was a first-year nursing student at Texas Tech University, according to the university’s alumni association.

“Her mother said that she turned down many full-ride scholarships to other schools, because she only wanted to be a Red Raider,” the association said in a Facebook post.

Riojas’ mother, Samantha Riche, described her only daughter as “the love of my life.”

The crash happened as Riojas was traveling home from clinicals, Riche told KAMC.

“My baby is an overachiever. She had compassion for helping people, which is why she was going to become a nurse,” the mother told the station. “She is smart. She is beautiful. She is a hard worker. She could light up any room with just her smile. She is my entire life. I lost my soul when she lost hers.”

Another family member said he was “amazed at the caliber of student she became.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 10:31 AM with the headline "18-year-old nursing student dies after truck slams into her moped, Texas police say."