'Bradley was such a good guy': Tate High mourns student Bradley Ellertson who died in crash
A 17-year-old Tate High School student died Friday after a semi-truck collided with a Kia Soul at the intersection of County Road 196 and U.S. Highway 29 in Escambia County.
Bradley Ellertson's mother, Krystal Stone, says her son was sitting in the passenger seat of the sedan as Ellertson's 16-year-old girlfriend drove the car. A Florida Highway Patrol report says another 16-year-old was also in the vehicle.
"Bradley was such a good guy, and I know right now with me crying and me upset ... he would say, 'It's OK, mom. It was just an accident,'" Stone told the News Journal.
FHP's incident report says the driver of the Kia Soul stopped at a stop sign in the eastbound lane of County Road 196, but "failed to yield to oncoming traffic when she attempted to cross the southbound lanes of traffic on U.S. Highway 29" as the semitruck trailer approached.
"(This) resulted in the left side of the Kia Soul colliding with the front bumper of the semi-truck," the report says.
Ellertson was pronounced dead on scene by paramedics, and the two other occupants were taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in "serious" condition. The 32-year-old Milton woman driving the semi did not sustain any injuries, according to FHP.
Stone said Ellertson was going back to a friend's house after buying boots when the accident occurred.
Bradley Ellertson was a 'light' and always made people laugh
Ellertson, who was a junior at Tate High, played football for the Aggies during his freshman year before he moved back to Mesa, Arizona, to see his friends and dad. He returned to Florida and re-enrolled at Tate in August 2023.
"In Remembrance: today we remember the life of Bradley Ellertson," Tate High Football wrote in a post to X. "Please remember his family and teammates in your prayers these next couple of weeks. The entire Aggie Nation is praying for them."
Stone said that her son was selfless and happy to do things for anyone who needed help, and he would always do it with a smile on his face.
"You can see by his big smile in every picture he was a light, and he was a funny kid, very funny and goofy," she said. "He was always wearing silly hats and silly glasses, always making people laugh.
"Bradley loved to do things. He was a doer," Stone added. "It didn't matter what it was. We have so many stories of Bradley doing sweet things for people – exceptionally sweet things that most kids his age wouldn't want to do."
Often called "Bubba" by his family, Ellertson decided to no longer play football out of fear of a head injury, but his mother says that didn't stop her son from going to Tate's football games so he could film for his friends still on the team.
"I just want everyone to know what a good person he was. He was a light and a really good person," Stone said. "He was really, truly selfless."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Bradley Ellertson: Tate High School student dies in semi-truck crash
