High school cheerleader killed days before graduation when tree fell on camper

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

Kara Bryson, 18, died on Monday morning when winds of 50 to 70 mph uprooted a large tree, which 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 set to graduate on Friday, the outlet noted. 

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She was visiting the Lake Chatuge area for the weekend with friends, including her closest friend and fellow cheerleader Callie Parker.

“I put my hands over my head because I wasn’t sure what it was,” Parker recalled of hearing the sounds of a thunderstorm, followed by a large crash.

“It was still pouring, the rain. I was just in complete shock,” she said of the moment she scrambled out of the wrecked trailer and dialed 911.

Bryson was already dead when first responders arrived, according to Clay County Emergency Services.

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Parker and Bryson recently got ready for prom night together, and had been looking forward to preparing for graduation side-by-side.

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

Bryson was in the Nursing Fundamentals program at Tuscola and earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license the week before her death, the outlet added.

She planned to attend Haywood Community College for the first two years of her undergraduate degree, and hoped to eventually become a nurse.

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The teen was also an active member of the cheerleading squad – and was a leader in the group even after she injured her shoulder during her senior season.

“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?’” she added.

The cheer team called Bryson’s death a “horrible loss” in an emotional Facebook tribute.

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In addition to her parents, Bryson is survived by her three younger brothers.

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