13-year-old dies after tragic hammock accident

A 13-year-old Iowa girl is dead after a tragic hammock accident at her home in Des Moines on May 14.

Peri Sagun, an eighth grader at St. Augustin’s Catholic School, and her sister had attached a hammock to a tree and a brick pillar, which collapsed after Sagun jumped into the hammock.

According to NBC affiliate, WHO News, the pillar fell on top of the girl because it was only several inches into the ground.

It’s believed the 13-year-old was struck in the head.

A mason told the news station such structures “should be buried below the frost line, at least a foot down, with some sort of concrete or rebar anchor.”

Sagun was rushed to hospital where she later died.

“For many of these students they haven’t even lost a grandparent so for them, they’ve experienced death for the first time. So at the prayer service it was hard on them” said the school’s principal, Dr. Nancy Dowdle, to WHO News.

She went on to say Sagun was a talented and intelligent student.

“She was very talented in tennis, she played for our volleyball team, she was an honours student, she was a gymnast, she was a dancer, she was in all our musicals the last three years.”

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Sagun was supposed to graduate next week.