A high school senior from North Carolina lost her life just days before graduation when a tree fell on the camper she was staying in, crushing it.
Kara Bryson, 18, died on Monday morning, May 27, 2024, when winds of 50 to 70 mph uprooted a large tree, which crushed the part of the trailer she was in at Penland Point Campground near Lake Chatuge, according to Clay County Emergency Services.
Bryson, a senior at Tuscola High School scheduled to graduate on Friday, was spending the weekend with friends, including her best friend and fellow cheerleader Callie Parker, in the Lake Chatuge area.
“I covered my head because I didn’t know what was happening,” Parker recounted, hearing a thunderstorm followed by a loud crash. “The rain was still coming down hard. I was in total shock,” she said, describing when she got out of the damaged trailer and called 911. Bryson was already dead when first responders reached the scene.
Parker and Bryson had recently gotten ready for prom night together and were looking forward to preparing for graduation side-by-side. Parker will now decorate a chair in honor of her best friend for the Friday night ceremony.
Bryson was enrolled in the Nursing Fundamentals program at Tuscola and earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license just a week before passing. She aspired to become a nurse and planned to attend Haywood Community College for the first two years of her undergraduate studies.
She was also a dedicated cheerleading squad member, continuing to lead the team even after suffering a shoulder injury in her senior year. “She would try to convince us to let her keep stunting. She was very determined,” said cheer coach Kari Setser. “She had a resilient mindset and always pushed through. She never complained but instead would ask, ‘What can I do to help? What else can I do?'” The cheer team described Bryson’s death as a “horrible loss” in a heartfelt Facebook tribute.
Bryson is survived by her parents and three younger brothers. By Thursday morning, a GoFundMe campaign for her family had raised over $17,000, far exceeding the initial goal of $5,000.
