A nine-year-old girl from Panguitch, Utah, died Wednesday morning after a freak accident in which the trampoline she was sitting on flew airborne from a gust of wind and carried her more than 150 feet.
Oaklee Sidwell was playing outside with friends on a trampoline when she sat down to put her shoes on and the sudden gust of wind flew the trampoline into the air. Sidwell was the only person on the trampoline at the time. She was rushed to Salt Lake City Hospital and was later transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital, where she died from injuries sustained in the fall Wednesday morning.
According to KDVR, the trampoline was properly anchored to the ground and even had a safety net, but somehow still flew into the air.
Sidwell has two older brothers, a mother, Desiree, and a father, Tracy. A memorial fund was started for the family at Zion bank, and a memorial website page was set up.
The tight-knit community is deeply saddened and shocked by this unusual tragedy.
"So many people are feeling heartbreak for [the family]," said Cheryl Church, a spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Salt Lake Tribune reports. "It’s hard to even wrap your head around it."