LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – A 23-year-old American journalist and New York University graduate, Kathryn Hoedt, has been killed during a rope-swinging accident.
According to her employer, KCRA-TV, in a statement, Hoedt died after she fell 30 feet from the rope swing into rocks along the shoreline at Folsom Lake, just 24 miles outside Sacramento, California.
Friends present with Hoedt helped carry her to a nearby boat where park officials were located at the time.
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An off-duty doctor reportedly performed Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before an ambulance arrived to transport Hoedt to a Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“I can’t believe it’s real, you know, she was such a bright light,” her mother Beth told KCRA.
“Today, I tried to get some work done, and it was really, really hard because I knew Katie’s never going to be calling me again, and it’s going to be just something that I’m never going to get used to.”
According to the statement, the deceased joined KCRA in Oct 2022, where she produced the station’s morning show.
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“Our team is heartbroken about the loss of Katie Hoedt,” KCRA 3 News Director Derek Schnell said.
“She had a vibrant personality; she lit up the newsroom with her enthusiasm, and her laughter was contagious.
“She was also proud to be a journalist, and she was deeply committed to serving our community. Katie had a bright future ahead of her, and she’ll be deeply missed.”
