Texas School for the Deaf mourns student, actress killed in Maryland car crash

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas School for the Deaf is mourning the loss of one of its students after a fatal car crash early Tuesday morning in Maryland. Kaylee Hottle, 18, of Kyle, a deaf actor best known for her starring role as Jia in two “Godzilla” films, died in a car crash in Ijamsville, Maryland, according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.   “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland,” the school, located in Austin, said in a statement Tuesday.  “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time,” TSD said. Hottle was one of two passengers in the car, driven by a 19-year-old, when it veered off the road and struck a culvert. The crash happened just before 3 a.m. in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland.  The driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the other passenger declined medical treatment, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. FCSO said Hottle was taken to an area trauma center, where she died.  Excessive speed is believed to be the cause of the crash, authorities said. Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf, a report from the Associated Press said. Her parents, Joshua and Ketsi Hottle, shared emotional video statements about her death on social media sites. “Kaylee’s mom and four siblings are crushed,” her father said in ASL in a post from an airport. “They are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee’s body back home.”  A GoFundMe has been created to support the Hottle family.