A promising young boxer’s life was cut short Saturday morning when a driver allegedly reversed his vehicle into her while she was cycling along a rural Texas road. Hannah Rapp was just 26 years old.
,Brazos County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a major crash involving a vehicle and a bicyclist on the 23000 block of Farm to Market Road 159 at around 10 a.m., ,First responders found Rapp lying in the roadway and provided emergency medical care before she was transported to a nearby hospital where she later died.,
,The driver, 31-year-old Charles Medina, had passed two bicyclists including Rapp and her boyfriend while traveling along FM 159 at a high rate of speed., According to investigators, Rapp’s boyfriend reacted by throwing his arms up and shouting toward the driver. Medina then slammed on his brakes and brought the vehicle to a stop before shifting into reverse.
,After stopping, Medina drove in reverse and struck Rapp., Investigators say her head struck the vehicle’s rear window during the impact. Rapp was knocked backward into the roadway and was found unresponsive when deputies arrived.
Medina told investigators he believed the cyclists were trying to flag him down and claimed he did not see Rapp when backing up until it was too late. He also stated he was only traveling at 15 mph in reverse. However, physical evidence at the scene told a different story. The angle of the reverse skid marks indicated the vehicle appeared to be steering toward something while accelerating backward, directly contradicting Medina’s account.
,The driver was arrested and charged with manslaughter., ,Medina was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center without incident., ,While the crash is being treated as an isolated incident, police have not yet disclosed the exact reason or motive behind the driver’s actions.,
,Rapp was known for her drive inside and outside the ring, a rising boxer chasing a world-title opportunity while also working full-time., ,She trained out of the Bryan Boxing Gym in Texas while also serving full-time as a fire and life safety inspector at Texas A&M University.,
,Rapp had challenged World Boxing Council women’s featherweight champion Tiara Brown for the title just the month before her death. The June 13 bout was held in Florida and broadcast on ESPN and ended in a unanimous-decision loss for Rapp.,
,The WBC remembered Rapp as “a relentless warrior inside the ring” whose dedication left an indelible mark on both the North American Boxing Federation and the WBC., ,WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said the loss was heartbreaking, calling her an exceptional boxer and an invaluable member of the boxing family.,
,The investigation remains active and ongoing as detectives continue to gather evidence and review all available information, the sheriff’s office said.