Catherine Coyle would always go out of her way to make someone happy, according to friends.
“She always seemed to know everybody and everyone just loved her,” said Anthony Paniccia, a junior political science major.
Coyle, who received a bachelor’s degree in English, died as a result of a one-car accident that occurred at approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16 — only two days after her graduation from BU.
According to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, the driver of the car, Madison Beauman, 21, died at the scene. Coyle was transferred to Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center in Johnson City.
The accident took place on state Route 17 near the exit to Owego, according to the Village of Owego police. The vehicle, a Toyota Corolla belonging to Coyle, was traveling eastbound.
The car ran over an embankment on the south side of the road and hit two trees, police said. The vehicle suffered extensive damages.
The accident is being investigated by the Owego Police Department, which is awaiting toxicology reports. The cause of the crash has not been released.
Coyle is remembered and missed by her friends and co-workers at the A.C. Moore in Vestal.
Paniccia, who knew Coyle for almost six years, said he never once had a bad time with her.
According to Paniccia, Coyle was always very happy. She loved to talk, he said, and if you ran into her on your way to class you’d normally end up having an hour-long conversation.
“When new people would come around she would introduce them to people and make [them] feel like they were wanted,” he said. “Most of all, she was a great person, and it was a really sad tragedy.”
Sophie Brown, another old friend of Coyle’s, said she was just one big personality.
“She could always make me laugh when I was feeling down in the dumps,” she said.
In a statement issued over B-Line on Dec. 17, President Lois DeFleur called Coyle’s death a tragedy.
“As a University community, we are extremely saddened by the loss of this talented and promising young woman,” she said. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends.”
—Robert Hadad-Zlokower contributed reporting to this article.