REDDING, Calif., Jan. 9, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A 29-year-old former BYU football walk-on running back was killed in a head-on car crash in California Sunday.
Ryan Folsom, who is from Medford, Ore., was driving on Interstate 5 near Redding, when another driver, 28-year-old Grace Elizabeth Ward, went through the center median and began driving northbound in the southbound lanes.
Ward crashed into Folsom’s Honda Accord, according to the California Highway Patrol, sending his vehicle into a ditch on the shoulder of the freeway.
The California Highway Patrol said Folsom succumbed to his injuries after being transported to Mercy Medical Center. Ward, who broke her leg in the crash, may have been suicidal at the time, officials said, though the incident is still under investigation.
A GoFundMe page set up in Folsom’s behalf said that he was traveling to one of several interviews lined up for residency as part of his training to become a doctor when the crash occurred.
Folsom leaves behind two young sons and a wife, Lauren, who is expecting their third child this month.
“He loved the Avengers and anything super-hero related, perhaps because he loved the idea of filling that role in any capacity,” the GoFundMe page said. “He loved being the super hero for his two boys, he loved the idea of being a doctor and saving lives.”
Folsom was a running back for the BYU Cougars in 2007 and 2010-11. His 74-yard run against Colorado State in 2010 is the eighth-longest in school history.
He also served in the Korea Seoul West Mission from 2008-10 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
BYU Football tweeted Monday: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Folsom family after the tragic passing of former Cougar running back Ryan Folsom yesterday.”
