Summer Lee celebrated her 18th birthday just a few days before she was killed in a nine-vehicle crash in Henry County, her grandfather told Channel 2 Action News.
Lee was on her way to a babysitting job when caught in the pileup wreck that shut down all lanes of Interstate 75 about noon Saturday.
An overturned tractor-trailer caught fire and four other people were hurt badly enough to be taken to a hospital, Henry County police spokesman Sgt. Daniel Gibbs previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
All lanes remained shut down until about 4 p.m.
VIDEO: 9 car deadly crash shuts down lanes in Henry County
About three hours after lanes opened, an estimated 300 people gathered to pray for Lee and celebrate her memory.
The impromptu vigil took place on the Locust Grove High School’s football field. Lee, a senior at the school, had been a softball player and photographer, Channel 2 reported.
A cousin, Hunter Lee, said she’d drive long distances to watch Summer Lee’s games.
She cried as she said she’ll miss her cousin.
“She was always there for me,” Hunter Lee said.
MORE: Loved ones remember woman killed in 9-car pileup
As friends tearfully told the television station Lee was loved and will be missed, a rainbow appeared in the sky.
Devon Drew described Lee as a good friend who always had a smile on her face.
“I hadn’t known what to do but cry and pray,” Drew said. “She was a blessing to all of us and a blessing to this school and a blessing to every living thing that ever met her.”
The community released balloons into the night sky in memory of Summer Lee.
More information about the fatal crash and information about charges are expected Monday, police said.
RELATED: Charges pending after teen killed in Henry County crash
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