A Memorial Day camping trip turned to a tragedy when a tree fell on a camper and killed a high school cheerleader. It was only days before her graduation.
Kara Bryson, a North Carolina high school senior, died on Monday. Strong winds knocked off a large tree, which crushed a camper trailer at Penland Point Campground. Sadly, Bryson was inside the trailer when the tree fell, according to the Mountaineer. She was a senior at Tuscola High School set to graduate this Friday.
Bryson had been on a camping trip with her best Callie Parker to Lake Chatuge area for the holiday weekend. A storm blew through North Carolina with strong winds. Parker remembered those tragic final moments before Bryson passed away. She had been inside the camper as well.
"I put my hands over my head because I wasn't sure what it was," Parker said."It was still pouring, the rain. I was just in complete shock." Parker managed to free herself from the trailer and call 911. Sadly, Bryson died before help ever arrived. The two were best friends and had even got ready for prom together. Parker had been looking forward to graduating with Bryson. Instead, she will decorate a chair in her friend's memory.
High School Cheerleader Passes Away
One person wrote of the high schooler's passing, "We send our deepest sympathies during your time of loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Kara Bryson. Please know that Kara will be greatly missed here at Skyland Terrace & Rehab by all of our team and residents. We were lucky enough to work with Kara and get a chance to see what a amazing young lady she was. We will miss her dearly."
Bryson had been enrolled at the Nursing Fundamentals program at Tuscola. She had just earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license with plans to eventually become a nurse. The teen was a cheerleader for the school and a leader on the team after getting injured during her senior year.
"She would try to persuade us to still let her stunt— she was driven —she had a tough mindset and mentality to push through," cheer coach Kari Setser told the Mountaineer."She didn't sit there and pout — she would always ask 'What can I do to help? What else can I do?'"
