Elizabeth Faulkner will be remembered as the kind of person who was always there for her friends whenever they needed her, said her friend April Bryan, junior nursing major.

Faulkner, a freshman psychology major, was killed in her hometown of Mount Gilead early Saturday morning when a drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit the passenger’s side of the car she was riding in, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol media release.

She was on her way home from the movies with her boyfriend, Alan, April Bryan’s brother, when the accident happened. He walked away with only a few bruises and cuts, but Faulkner was killed on impact, Bryan said.

“She’s like my sister,” she said. “This is just really hard. She was so loved.”

She also said it was an extremely painful weekend for both Faulkner’s family, her own family and all of Faulkner’s friends.

Matthew Ansell, freshman psychology major, said what happened was tragic and disgusting. He described Faulkner as someone who was unselfish in all aspects of the word.

“There are too many great things to say about her,” he said. “She had this amazing ability to make everyone feel happy – happy and loved.”

“Everything she did was for other people. I don’t know a better way to describe her.”

April Bryan said what Faulkner loved most was music and spending time with her boyfriend of two and a half years.

“She was kind of emo and really into music. She liked punk mostly and wore black a lot, and she loved going to concerts,” she said.

She said Faulkner would want everyone to learn from what happened to her and not repeat the mistake made by the man who took her life.

“I think she’d want people to realize that drinking and driving has serious consequences,” Bryan said. “The decisions you make don’t just affect you. They affect other people too. Everyone needs to understand that.”

Faulkner’s mother, Heidi Yutzy, said she doesn’t want her daughter’s death to be just another statistic.

“It’s important that people designate a driver in these kinds of situations,” she said. “She was a good kid. We are all going to miss her so much.”

Chad Layne, 32, of Mount Gilead was cited for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond and was released from the Morrow County Jail over the weekend. Charges in the death of Faulkner will be brought at a later date.

A viewing will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Craven-Snyder Funeral Home on 67 North Main St. in Mount Gilead.

Ansell said above everything else, Faulkner was a good, genuine person.

“To the bitter end she was helping people,” he said. “Whether she knew it or not, she was.”

Contact general assignment reporter, Elise Franco at [email protected].