A young woman, Sierra Marie Pedrin-Linden, was killed in a single-car accident near the north end on Wednesday night.

The accident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, on Vashon Highway, according to Sgt. DB Gates, a spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff’s Office. Linden, 22, apparently lost control of her vehicle and crashed on the side of the highway near SW 140th Street. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Linden was a 2011 graduate of Vashon High School. She was the caregiver for an autistic young man on Vashon and also worked at Vashon Pizza.

“She will be missed more than anything,” said Natalie Harkins, who owns Vashon Pizza and was also a close friend of Linden. Harkins described the young woman as a hard worker who was also very caring and had many friends on the island who are devastated by the news.

“She loved her family and loved her friends. She was there for everybody,” Harkins said.

Linden had a bubbly personality, Harkins added, and was known as fun to be around.

“Everyone remembers her smiling and laughing and joking,” she said, “She was beautiful but didn’t know it and didn’t act like it.”

Islander Sherrie Pierson said she remembers how caring and patient Linden was as a caretaker for her son, who is autistic.

“She was Joseph’s best friend, and he’s heartbroken,” she said.

Pierson described Linden as “full of life” and noted she would play along when Joseph called her his girlfriend.

“She was so very giving with Joseph with her time and her patience and her attention,” she said. “It’s left a big hole in our lives.”

Linden was the sole occupant of the vehicle that crashed, an SUV. Her dog, which was with her in the car, was also killed.

Linden is survived by her mother, brother and sister. She is also survived by an aunt, uncle and grandmother who live on Vashon. Her married name was Sierra Pedrin-Linden Walsh, but she had returned to her maiden name as her divorce was about to be finalized.

Josh Dueweke, a captain at Vashon Island Fire & Rescue who responded to the accident, said Linden was headed south on Vashon Highway when she lost control of her vehicle and apparently over-corrected. The car went into a ditch and was upside-down against a tree when responders arrived. Dueweke said she died at the scene.

The King County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Accident Response and Reconstruction (MARR) team responded, and Vashon Highway was closed for the investigation until about 4 a.m. on Thursday.

Gates said MARR is still investigating and will attempt to reconstruct the accident. The investigation could take months to complete, she said.

Watch The Beachcomber for more information on a memorial service.