Friends of Madison Montgomery-Lukenbill preserve her memory after fatal accident

BOZEMAN – Friends of 18-year-old Madison Leigh Montgomery-Lukenbill say she was a ray of sunshine.

“When you look at the sky, you see clouds and certain shapes and colors. You see them,” says a friend.

“She was always loud, lively and bubbly, like she always had the biggest smile ever,” says another friend.

“She always had the biggest heart when it came to everyone else,” says Aryanna Salzar.

Some of her friends gathered dressed in purple to honor Madison.

Aryanna, one of Madison's best friends, still remembers the call she received that Madison had died in a car accident early Sunday morning, September 15th.

“It was blurry, it didn't feel real. I felt like I was just lost,” says Salzar.

Three other teenagers were also injured in the accident on Kelly Canyon Road east of Bozeman.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the driver, a 17-year-old boy whose identity has not been released, lost control of the car. The car struck a guardrail, crossed the creek and went up an embankment, where it came to rest on the passenger side.

Madison's friends say that they have become stronger through solidarity since the accident.

“The more time I spend with everyone, the clearer it becomes to me that this is exactly what she wants from us. And I can sense her better,” says Salzar.

The teenagers are walking the same paths they once walked with Madison, and the trip here to Hyalite is a memory they hold dear.

“I just listen to songs and come here…”

Madison enjoyed singing all genres. But in particular?

“Rap God! She learned all this stuff and wanted to show it to everyone,” says Salzar.

From Eminem to Disney, Madison loved it all. At graduation, everyone knew it was Madi because of her homemade graduation cap.

“She loved Tangled! So she always watched it. She loved it. Seeing her tie in her favorite color and knowing that her dress in Tangled is purple, that's so Maddy,” says friend Kiersten Kendall.

Madison also loved glitter.

“Lots of glitter! There will be no glitter in my room because this girl came by with a can of body glitter and hair glitter,” Salzar says.

A cheerleader at Belgrade High and the University of Montana Western, Madi loved acting and also studied theater arts.

“I did our senior year's yearbook, so I have a lot of pictures of her just cheering and doing her thing. She was always smiling so much,” says friend Haylee Coelho.

Madison is a friend that neither of them will ever forget.

To support Madison's family during this difficult time, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched.