TikTok star dies in car crash days after video about never being in a road accident

A TikTok star has tragically died at the age of 18 after being struck by a car driving on the wrong side of the road.

Kara Santorelli was heading down Florida’s Highway 29 just before 1am on 17 March when the oncoming vehicle hit her head-on, according to the local Highway Patrol.

The other driver, who has not yet been identified, also died at the scene.

Santorelli’s death has caused shockwaves on social media, particularly in light of a video she’d posted just days before.

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The clip shows the high school student sitting in her car, with an overlaid caption reading: “When they try to call me a bad driver, but I’ve never hit a person or an actual car.”

She posted the TikTok on 11 March – just six days before the fatal accident.

The video has now been viewed more than 16.5 million times, as streams of fellow TikTokers continue to voice their shock at the terrible coincidence.

A number of users have criticised the platform for pushing the video on their ‘For You’ pages in light of the tragedy, with one writing: “The algorithm has the worst possible timing. May she rest peacefully.”

Another condemned fellow commentators for appearing to make light of the disaster, saying: “All the ‘this didn’t age well’ comments are so inappropriate, someone going the wrong way went into her.”

Another reiterated the point, adding: “The other person was at fault not her. They hit her, she still [hasn’t] ever hit anyone. Rip.”

Meanwhile, friends of the teenager’s distraught family have set up a GoFundMe to help cover her funeral costs.

In a statement on the fundraising page, they said: “Kara had the most beautiful smile and the sweetest soul. Everyone that knew her, loved her.”

They added that she was looking forward to graduating high school in May and that her “future was bright”.

“She will be greatly missed," they said.

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