A community outpouring of grief continued today after many learned Kyle Tilley, 26, of Flower Mound, died when his vehicle rolled over following an accident just before midnight Saturday on the Sam Rayburn Tollway just south of the Josey Lane overpass between Carrollton and The Colony.
On Facebook, many recalled Tilley as a hands-on coach who worked with their youngsters, teaching them how to swim or to improve their skills. “Kyle was such a role model for so many children,” read one post. “He was a well loved coach to many kids at Marcus High School and LAC also. He will be very missed,” read another.
Tilley, a youth swim coach at Lakeside Aquatic Club and 2006 graduate of Flower Mound High School, was active on swim teams both at the high school (from 2002-2006) and at Ouachita Baptist University (from 2006 to 2010) where he graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in business administration.
He previously coached at Wellington for the Sharks from 2008-2010 and served as head coach with the Bridlewood Torpedoes. According to the Lakeside Aquatic Club, Tilley began swimming at age 6 and joined the Lakeside Acquatic Club when he was in the eighth grade.
A resident of Flower Mound where his parents, Larry and Dona Tilley reside, Kyle Tilley enjoyed drumming, reading, longboarding, listening to music and playing video games.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety records, Tilley was driving southbound on the right side of the Sam Rayburn Tollway when his Jeep was struck from behind by a Lexus driven by 19-year-old Wahid Malik of Carrollton. The report indicated Wahlik was traveling at a high rate of speed in the center lane when his vehicle moved to the right lane.
The collision caused the driver of the Jeep to lose control, veer further right, overturned and rolled before landing upright in the right-side grassy median. The Lexus also veered off the tollway to the right and landed in a grassy median where it caught fire. The driver and passenger of the Lexus were not seriously injured. Tilley died at the scene, according to the report. His passenger, 25-year-old Nicholas Bass of Coppell, was taken to Medical Center of Plano via CareFlite Air Ambulance with serious injuries.
Sgt. Lonny Haschel with the Texas Department of Public Safety said there were several pieces to the investigation that need to be examined before any conclusions are drawn. “It’s too early in the investigation to make any determinations as to what cause or contributed to the crash,” he said in a press release. Haschel added it was clear that Tilley was not at fault in the incident.
The FMHS community is saddened by the unexpected loss of FMHS alum Kyle Tilley, according to officials from the Lewisville Independent School District. At the request of Kyle’s family and friends, the Lewisville Education Foundation is accepting donations to establish a scholarship in his memory. Donations can be made at https://lisdef.com/donate.
Family visitation has been scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Flower Mound Family Funeral Home at 3550 Firewheel Drive. A funeral service has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church, 1251 Valley Ridge Boulevard, in Lewisville with burial following in Flower Mound Cemetery.
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