Post Falls High student-athlete dies following crash

A Post Falls High School student-athlete who died over the weekend following a car crash is being remembered as a consummate teammate, competitor and friend. 

Sophomore Lexie Haines, 16, was northbound in a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta on Highway 41 around 2:30 p.m. Friday when she lost control of the vehicle and struck a traffic light support pole at Wyoming Avenue. 

The Idaho State Police said she was extricated from the vehicle and transported to a hospital by ground ambulance, where she succumbed to her injuries Saturday. 

Haines played basketball and soccer at Post Falls, and was involved in 4-H. In basketball, she was a “floater,” playing some games on the junior varsity, as well as some 10-12 games on the varsity. 

“If there is a definition of a program kid, she is an absolute Trojan program kid,” Post Falls High varsity girls basketball coach Brian Carlson said. “She constantly was texting the coaching staff to get her into the gym. She probably texted me more to work out then all the other girls added up. Just one of those girls that was a gym rat, and every workout she went as hard as she possibly could ... just a very kind soul.” 

Presently, Haines was playing on the Post Falls girls summer-league basketball team. 

Carlson was on his way to coach his team in a couple of summer-league games at Gonzaga Prep on Friday when he received word that Lexie had been injured in a car accident. 

The Trojans played the two games. After word leaked out on social media that night, Carlson addressed the team Saturday morning before the first of Post Falls’ two scheduled games that day, telling the players their teammate was injured in a car accident and fighting for her life. 

Carlson gave his team the option of not playing. 

“And they made the decision to play,” he said. 

After the second game Saturday, Carlson learned that Lexie had passed. 

“My team is, honestly, wrecked,” Carlson said. 

Carlson said a player’s father told him the story of Lexie recently at a Walmart, when she spotted a younger member of the program. 

"She was all the way across the store,” Carlson said. “And she made her way all the way across the store and made sure she talked to this middle school girl and asked her if she was going to go to open gym that night.” 

During this past season, in a game in Idaho Falls during a holiday tournament, Haines hit a 3-pointer, and came down on an opponent’s foot. 

“Her ankle swelled up the size of a baseball,” Carlson recalled, “And she knew we were a little bit shorthanded, and she told the trainer, ‘put some tape on it,’ and seven minutes later, she was back in the game playing.” 

When the team stayed at Airbnbs on road trips, Carlson said Lexie was the first person to help with the meals, and made sure the house was clean before the team left. 

"Kids loved her. Just the biggest heart,” Carlson said. 

Minus their fallen teammate, the Post Falls girls gathered Monday for practice. Up next for the Trojans is a couple of summer league games tonight, and a tournament in Lewiston this weekend. 

“Lexie would want them to be on the court, playing as hard as they can possibly play,” Carlson said. 

A GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses and other costs had raised nearly $29,000 as of Monday evening.   

Haines' older sister, Ryan, on the GoFundMe page, wrote:  

"Lexie was more than just my sister — she was a bright light in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a beautiful spirit, a contagious smile, and a way of making people feel loved. Whether she was making us laugh or simply being herself, Lexie brought joy wherever she went. She was a hard worker and never failed to demonstrate that in every part of her life."  

She wrote that the family is struggling to come to terms "with the unimaginable reality that Lexie was taken from us far too soon in a tragic car accident. The pain of losing her is something we never could have prepared for, and our hearts are shattered." 

"It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of one of our PFHS students," PFHS Principal Mark Mason wrote in a statement.  

Mason wrote that in order to support students and staff, the school would have trained adults on hand from the Post Falls School District’s Crisis Assistance Team beginning Monday.  

"Experiencing, witnessing, or even hearing of a traumatic incident such as this may affect a student or adult in a variety of ways. It is important to have ample opportunities to talk about our reactions. This team will support PFHS counselors in their work with students and staff," according to the statement. 

Mason wrote that additional support is available for PFHS students: 

Care Solace is a 24/7/365 free, confidential mental health care coordination service also available to all Post Falls School District students and families. Go to caresolace.com/site/pfsd or call 888-515-0595. 

Anyone who would like to speak with a counselor in the district is encouraged to call the PFHS counseling office at 208-773-5411.