A 13-year-old South Dakota girl was killed over the Fourth of July holiday in a tragic boating accident on Lake Madison.
Emily “Emmy” Brynn Gorman, of Sioux Falls, was reportedly tubing on the lake when a jet ski collided with her, a witness told KSFY.
Although a doctor and nurse were on the scene within moments, she died from her injuries, the witness said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital on Friday that the investigation is still ongoing and that it could not release any additional information.
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13-year-old Emmy Gorman loved spending summers on the waters of Lake Madison in Lake County, South Dakota. (Google Maps)
Gorman’s mother Stacy remembered her daughter in a Wednesday Facebook post.
“Words cannot express our devastation and sorrow. We lost our beautiful Emily Brynn yesterday. For all those that knew and loved Emmy, know that she was so special, so beautiful, and had the biggest heart of anyone. She cared so deeply for those she loved and for all animals,” she wrote.
“Emmy passed away at Sanford Hospital after a tragic boating accident. We were not with her during the accident, but were able to be with her when she passed. Her obituary and funeral details are still being arranged,” Gorman noted. “We are unsure how we are going to get through this, but we know Emmy is in Heaven with God.”
Gorman, a sister to Brooke and Molly, would have been an eighth grader at Harrisburg’s North Middle School.
A person tubes on Lake Madison in South Dakota. (Google Maps)
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A volleyball player and cross country runner, she loved spending her summers at Lake Madison.
The family has two pugs, Frankie and Ruby, but she always wanted another dog.
Her father, Eric Gorman, told KSFY he admired how his daughter, a root beer lover, embraced life.
Walker’s Point State Recreation Area is tucked along the shore of the 2,800-acre Lake Madison. (Google Maps)
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“She was always a great listener. She always wanted to learn the next thing,” he recalled. “I’d hear her giggling from her room. And she was in there just having a great time with her friends on the phone.”
A GoFundMe for the family has raised $16,365 of a $25,000 goal to assist with medical expenses, funeral costs and lost income. Her funeral is scheduled for next Wednesday.
