The teenage girl who fell off a raft during a whitewater paddling trip down the Ocoee River has died, according to church members who knew the girl, a family member and a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the family’s medical expenses.
The 15-year-old Florida girl was rafting with a group from her church on Sunday when paddlers in her boat fell out in the Class III+ tablesaw rapid. The girl’s leg got caught in a rescue rope. She was rushed to Erlanger Medical Center and had been in critical condition on life support.
“[The girl’s] family decided to take her off life support,” an update on the page read. “There was too much swelling in her brain and nothing more the doctors could do. [She] has passed away and had her loving family by her side.”
Two people from her church confirmed the information.
The decision was made Monday, according to the church members. There have been grief counselors to help the other children on the trip, according to one mother of a student on the trip.