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Tiara Wheeler, the daughter of former NBA player Tyson Wheeler, died in a dirt bike crash aged 24.
Tiara was was a passenger on a dirt bike that ran a red light before colliding with an Audi in Gorton, Connecticut on Monday night.
The 24-year-old was thrown from the bike upon collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘Tiara’s energy was contagious. She was passionate about racial and social justice issues, and always put her family first,’ the family wrote in her obituary.
Tiara and the driver were among a group of dirt bikes and ATVs that were driving recklessly, some with their lights off, police said.
Tiara Wheeler, the daughter of former NBA player Tyson Wheeler, died in a dirt bike crash
Tiara was described as a ‘real go-getter’ by her dad following her tragic death this week
None of the other members of the group provided aid to the victims, according to the police.
They have also been accused of stealing and tampering with evidence before leaving the victims for dead.
‘What is most troubling is that someone who may have been traveling with them stopped for this crash, and rather than rendering aid to the critically injured parties, removed the dirt bike from the road,’ Groton Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro told CT Insider.
‘In addition to the wanton disregard for human life, the actions of removing the involved dirt bike from the scene has tampered with and impeded this investigation.’
The bike’s driver was flown to Yale New haven Hospital, where he remained in critical conditions, a hospital spokesperson said.
Her father, Tyson Wheeler, was a second-round pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors after being a four-year standout at the University of Rhode Island.
Wheeler, who also played for the Denver Nuggets during his career, has been an assistant coach at Brown University since 2022.
In addition to her former NBA star dad, Tiara is also survived by her mother, Farrah, and two younger brothers, Tyson, 18, and Tevin, 13.
‘She’s a real go-getter,’ Wheeler said of his daughter. ‘She got things done.’ ‘She was so bright. So articulate,’ he said. ‘So wonderful. So smart.’
The 24-year-old was thrown from the bike upon collision and pronounced dead at the scene
Tiara graduated from Fairfield University as a public health major and was set to join Pfizer
Tiara graduated from Fairfield University, where she was treasurer for the Black Student Union, as a public health major.
She received an award for being the most promising public health graduate when she finished college in 2021, her dad said, and had been planning on joining pfizer’s team this winter.
Tiara had worked in an orthodontist’s office since 2017, working her way up from being an office assistant to being a treatment coordinator.
During college, Tiara had studied abroad in Florence, Italy until the Covid-19 pandemic hit and had wanted to return to live there, her dad told CT Insider.
Kimberly Doughty, one of her professors at Fairfield University described Tiara as a mature and motivated student.
‘She just had this level of confidence and maturity that I felt was really unique for an undergraduate student, and she was really motivated, really interested in learning things, and making sure she understood what we were talking about in class,’ Doughty told CT Insider.
