A CEO has died in a crash which also injured her 11-year-old son while they were on a family holiday. Kasey Grelle, 41, died after an open-air tourist transport truck crashed in Tola, Nicaragua. The mum of three was the co-founder of the marketing consulting firm Aux Insights. Her oldest son was critically injured in the crash and was airlifted back to the US.

Grelle was in the truck along with 30 other people when the vehicle lost control within the Rancho Santana resort on March 23, local media reported. She sadly died on her way to the hospital after suffering severe injuries. Nicaragua’s National Police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Her brother Andy Joyce wrote on Facebook remembering his sister as “one of the most brilliant, driven and selfless people I have ever met”. He added: “She was relentless in everything she did, especially when it came to helping people.”

Grelle is survived by her husband, Dave, and their three young children. A GoFundMe page launched to benefit the children has raised more than $302,000.

As reported by the New York Times, Grelle said Aux Insight had surpassed $10 million in annual revenue in under two years and was profitable from the outset without outside funding.

Before launching the business, Grelle built a career in venture capital and corporate dealmaking, including a spell as CEO of Gateway Media, where she helped slash $40million in debt before the company was sold.

She originally started out as a TV news reporter before switching to finance and entrepreneurship after completing an MBA at Washington University in St Louis.