A South Dakota community is mourning the loss of 7 year old Laurel Smith.  She died after the ATV she was driving was hit by a pick-up truck. Her 4 year old sister, Mia, and 2 year old brother, Rylen, were riding behind her on the same ATV. Both were hurt, but are expected to survive their injuries. Now the community of  Lake Norden is rallying around a family that's understandably, heart-broken.

Superintendent Joel Jorgenson remembers Laurel as, "Happy, just smiling, again a typical 1st Grader. Full of energy, nice young girl." This fall, Laurel would've been a 2nd Grader at Hamlin Education Center.  Jorgenson says, "Just a vibrant young lady. With any situation, she's going to be missed by her classmates, going to be missed by the students of the school and she'll be missed by the staff." The school's playground will stay empty for about another month until Laurel's classmates head back to school. The superintendent says that's when they'll decide how they'll address her death with the boys and girls in her class." Jorgenson says, "We'll assess the situation, sit down with the counselors, everybody involved and approach it in the correct matter when the time comes."

The crash that took Laurel's life happened just a few miles from her school and her church. Now those communities will likely be pillars of support for the smith family. Maydelle Boadwine says, "It's almost unbelievable." She's related to the children's grandmother. Maydelle says such a tragedy is tough for the entire community. She says, "This has nothing to do with where you belong or anything. This is a little girl that died and it's gonna be sad for the whole community."

Funeral arrangements for Laurel Smith have not yet been announced. Her sister, Mia, suffered a concussion and is expected to be released soon from the Watertown hospital. 2 year old Rylen was taken to Sanford Hospital with a broke leg, collar bone and facial fractures.