Ball State University sophomore Sarah Woodruff is remembered as being aware of people who needed a helping hand or a kind word.
Woodruff's mother Lucetta Woodruff said many people loved her daughter because she always noticed people who seemed unhappy and was willing to help them with their problems, sometimes when she didn't even know the person.
"The best thing to say about Sarah is she was compassionate to a fault, a very kind person," Lucetta Woodruff said.
The special education major was killed in a car accident Jan. 4 after losing control of her car and driving into the median of Interstate 69.
She was traveling south when she drifted into the median at about the 17 mile marker, according to an Indiana State Police press release. Investigators believe she overcorrected the car, causing it to roll six times before landing on its roof.
Sgt. Mike Burns, the public information officer of the Pendleton District, said Woodruff was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown about 60 feet from the car. She probably would have survived the crash if she had been wearing a seatbelt, he said.
Lucetta Woodruff said Sarah Woodruff loved sports, music, art and she especially loved animals. She brought several stray dogs home because of her "strong sense of justice." Lucetta Woodruff said her daughter couldn't tolerate mistreatment of animals.
"It really was a life that had a lot of potential cut short way too soon," she said.
Burns said the accident investigator believed Sarah Woodruff's cell phone activity was a significant factor in the crash. She received a text message at 12:48 p.m. and the first report of the accident was at 12:51 p.m., he said.
Lucetta Woodruff said she heard reports of her daughter using her cell phone just before the accident. She has her daughter's cell phone, Lucetta Woodruff said, and its log showed a significant time lapse between the last time Sarah Woodruff used it and the first report of the accident.
Lucetta Woodruff said she and her family were grateful for the people who stopped to help Sarah Woodruff, the EMTs, the police and coroner.
"They were all very kind and treated her with a great deal of respect," Lucetta Woodruff said.
Funeral services were Friday at St. Anne's Anglican Church in Anderson. Lucetta Woodruff said the Ball State student turnout was huge. Sarah Woodruff is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Anderson.
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