A devastating accident at Folsom Lake in California on August 12 led to the death of 23-year-old news reporter Kathryn Hoedt after she fell from a rope swing. The fall, spanning 30 feet, landed her on a hard, stony shoreline.
Educated at San Jose State University and New York University, Hoedt was part of the KCRA 3 Sacramento news team. The news director, Derek Schnell, remembered her as an individual full of spirit and deeply committed to her profession.
Efforts to aid Hoedt were made by friends and an off-duty doctor on site. Despite the immediate response, Hoedt couldn’t be saved and was declared dead at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
Given the known hazards, rope swings are actively removed by Folsom Lake officials. Mike Howard, the sector’s superintendent, mentioned the lake’s recent water level drop. Barry Smith, a state park chief ranger, also highlighted the potential unpredictability of such swings, saying, “You don’t know who put the rope swing up. You don’t know how strong that is. You don’t know the tree, the branch. Anything can give out and it’s extremely dangerous”.
