High school cheerleader dies when tree falls on RV

US News

From Olivia Land

A North Carolina high school senior was killed just days before her graduation when the RV she was in was crushed by a falling tree.

Kara Bryson, 18, died Monday morning when winds gusting between 50 and 70 mph uprooted a large tree, which in turn crushed the trailer she was staying in at Penland Point Campground, according to the Mountaineer.

Bryson was a senior at Tuscola High School and was scheduled to graduate Friday, the outlet reported.

She spent the weekend with friends in the Lake Chatuge area, including her best friend and fellow cheerleader Callie Parker.

“I put my hands above my head because I wasn’t sure what it was,” Parker recalls the sounds of a thunderstorm followed by a loud crash.

“It was still pouring with rain. I was in complete shock,” she said of the moment she climbed out of the destroyed trailer and dialed 911.

According to Clay County EMS, Bryson was already dead when emergency responders arrived.

Parker and Bryson recently got ready for prom together and were excited to prepare for graduation side by side.

Now Parker will decorate a chair in honor of her best friend for Friday night’s ceremony, the Mountaineer said.

Bryson attended the Nursing Fundamentals program in Tuscola and earned her license as a certified nursing assistant the week before her death, the outlet added.

She planned to spend the first two years of her undergraduate studies at Haywood Community College and hoped to eventually become a nurse.

The teenager was also an active member of the cheerleading squad – and remained one of the group’s leaders even after she sustained a shoulder injury in her final year of school.

“She tried to convince us to let her do stunts anyway. She was determined. She had a tough attitude and mentality to get by,” cheerleading coach Kari Setser told the Mountaineer.

“She didn’t sit there and sulk. She always asked, ‘How can I help? What else can I do?'” she added.

In an emotional tribute on Facebook, the cheerleading team described Bryson’s death as a “terrible loss.”

In addition to her parents, Bryson leaves behind three younger brothers.

As of Thursday morning, a GoFundMe campaign for Bryson’s family had already raised nearly $16,000 – well over the original goal of $5,000.