Two promising young dancers — Sarah Ball, eighteen, and Peter Kim, nineteen — were killed during a highly unusual crash that took place in the Boulder foothills.
The vehicle they were in is described by the Boulder Daily Camera as "Korean War-era truck" that drove into a mine shaft.
At 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 12, according to a Colorado State Patrol report accessed by the Camera, the vehicle, a 1955 three-quarter-ton Dodge truck, was traveling west on Forest Service Road 456A west of Gold Hill when its left front tire slid over the edge of a mine shaft after plowing over a dirt mound.
The truck's front end subsequently traveled into the mine and smashed into the shaft's bottom.
The driver of the vehicle, Isaac Lutz, survived the crash — but Ball and Kim did not.
Word about the accident soon began to circulate through the local dance community, with Underground Crew & Underground Talent posting this photo of Ball....
...and this photo of Kim....
...over an item that includes a quote from Norman Cousins ("The tragedy of life is not death...but what we let die inside of us while we live") with the note, "Sarah Ball and Peter Kim will be remembered by Underground. They have been an energy of love and contribution to our CO and UT dance family that will continue on and live and flow throughout our community."
Also mourning their loss was Block 1750, a nonprofit hip-hop dance studio at which both were students.
The Block 1750 post reads:
As most of you have heard, The Block and the Colorado dance community suffered a massive tragedy. Two of our young family members, Sarah Ball and Peter Kim, passed away in a car accident. Isaac Lutz is in the hospital and recovering.Classes at the Block 1750 were canceled on Monday and Tuesday in the wake of the accident.
Our hearts are broken and we don't currently have words to describe our sorrow.
Meanwhile, Kinesis Dance shared the photo at the top of this post along with the following announcement:
There will be a celebration of life for Sarah Ball this Friday, 5 p.m., at the East Boulder Community Center. Please bring photos to celebrate Sarah's beautiful life. We know she was such a bright light in this world and are grateful to have been a part of her life.We send our sincere condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Sarah Ball and Peter Kim.
