Funeral services held for Sallisaw student

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at The House church in Sallisaw for Sallisaw Middle School student Baylee Rayann Coachman where friends of the young girl were invited to write final good-bye messages on her casket.

Burial followed at Sallisaw City Cemetery under the direction of Agent Mallory-Martin Funeral Services, Inc.

Baylee, 11, a member of The House church, was a passenger on a church van when the driver of the van reportedly collided with an SUV last Wednesday night, at the corner of Iola and Walnut Streets in Sallisaw.

John Weber with the Sallisaw Police Department said the church van was traveling southbound on South Walnut when the driver failed to stop at the stop sign. Weber said the other vehicle was traveling eastbound on East Iola. As the church van entered the intersection, it then struck the SUV on the front driver side, which resulted in both vehicles ending up in the ditch on the southeast side of the intersection.

A church van and another vehicle collided at the intersection of Iola and Walnut on April 23.

In addition, Weber reported the church van struck an electric pole before coming to a stop, snapping it. The driver of the church van and Baylee, who was the front seat passenger, were both ejected from the front passenger side window. Baylee was transported by Pafford EMS to NHS Sequoyah Sallisaw where she was pronounced deceased at 8:59 p.m.

The driver of the church van, whose name has not yet been released, was also transported to NHS Sequoyah before being airlifted to Saint Francis in Tulsa. At that time, he was listed in critical but stable condition.

A back passenger in the church van was reportedly transported to the Sallisaw hospital with minor back and neck injuries. The minor female was later released.

The driver of the SUV traveled to Baptist Health Fort Smith later on where they were treated for a minor head injury. The female driver, whose name has not yet been released, was also treated and released.

The SUV driver’s male front seat passenger was transported by emergency personnel to Baptist Health Fort Smith with a midsection injury. He was diagnosed with a fractured rib on his left side and released.

Another male passenger in the SUV was transported to NHS Sequoyah with minor head and back injuries, and was also later released.

The community has left flowers, stuffed animals, balloons and other memorabilia at the crash site where a Sallisaw Middle School student lost her life following a tragic accident on April 23. JEFF MAYO | TIMES

The crash site has now been turned into a memorial for young Baylee, where members of the community have left flowers, balloons, stuffed animals and other memorabilia.

Baylee was described as joyful, bringing laughter and life into the hearts of everyone she knew. She was a daddy’s girl who loved God, her family and friends, and animals of all kinds. She enjoyed attending church and singing in the middle school choir.

Following the accident, members of the Sallisaw High School and Middle School Soccer teams presented a gift basket to the family.

The teams are continuing to support the family by asking for monetary donations through their social media page or via their Cash App, $Sallisaw-SoccerBC.

Donations can also be made at Agent Mallory Martin Funeral Home, 123 S. Wheeler Avenue, Sallisaw.