By Kyle Coppola
Wildwood Community Rallies for Jeriyah Walker Injured in Crash
The Wildwood community is rallying to support Jeriyah Walker, a standout girls basketball player and state champion, who was critically injured in a car crash following last week’s Leesburg High School football game against Vanguard.
Jeriyah, a sophomore at Wildwood High School, was a passenger in a car that lost control while speeding on the way home from the game. Three occupants escaped, but Jeriyah was trapped inside. Authorities managed to free her moments before the vehicle caught fire. She was airlifted from the scene with a severe head injury and remains in the hospital.
Her mother said Jeriyah has shown signs of progress.
“When she came out she recognized me but she couldn’t talk,” says her mother. “She has made incredible progress but is still unable to speak words and has relied on sign language.”
Jeriyah Walker takes a shot during the 2025 FHSAA State Championship Game in Lakeland in February.)
The accident brought her older brother, Ja’Kyrian “Boosie” Turner, back home. Ja’Kyrian, a running back for the University of Pittsburgh and South Sumter High School graduate, took time away from his college football season to be by his sister’s side.
“Ja’Kyrian came home and was so good,” their mother says. “It was good for him to know she was going to be OK, and I know that was great for Jeriyah for her to have him there.”
(Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja’Kyrian Turner sleeps by his sister to comfort her after her crash. Photo Credit – SweetNeaks Lewis.)
(Ja’Kyrian “Boosie” Turner helps his sister walk. Photo Credit – SweetNeaks Lewis.)
Jakyrian helped Jeriyah stand even slept by her side to keep her comfortable and calm her.
Friends, family, coaches and teammates have filled her hospital room with support. Recently, she was presented with the FHSAA State Championship trophy and memorabilia from her freshman season including her state championship ring. Last year, Jeriyah helped Wildwood to a state title in girls basketball and a 25-0 undefeated season.
(Jeriyah stands proudly with her FHSAA Girls Basketball State Championship Medal she won earlier this year as a freshman and the first ever Wildwood undefeated season.)
The community continues to rally behind Jeriyah, with loved ones holding out hope that her recovery will mirror the tenacity she has always shown on the court. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to Jeriyah and her family.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
