Tragedies can happen to even the most deserving people because life is full of surprises. This is, unfortunately, one of those times. Zoe McKinney, a senior in high school who is 17 years old and a cheerleader, went hiking with her friends. The Moab Rim Trail is where McKinney lost her balance and fell about 30 feet.
From what the Moab City Police Department said, McKinney fell off a very steep cliff and left her friends in trouble.
They tried hard to get to her, but it wasn’t safe to do so. The police were told right away, and search and rescue teams, along with fire and EMS, worked nonstop to get to the area above McKinney.
Sad to say, McKinney died in the fall and wasn’t even pronounced dead when she got to the hospital. Search and Rescue had to work for two hours to find her body.
Lloyd Gist, McKinney’s senior boyfriend, was not with her when she died because he was in Salt Lake City living with his family.
He told NBC News that they were very close and couldn’t live without each other. He had fond memories of her as a kind and helpful person who was always ready to help others. For almost a year, they had been together.
McKinney had a strong desire to help others, according to Iryss Mason, one of his close friends. Mason, who spoke to FOX affiliate KSTU, said that McKinney was working on getting her EMT license.
After McKinney’s death, the Grand City School District put out a statement. The district told the family how sorry they were for their loss and promised to help them in any way they could.
The school said that there would be therapists on hand on Monday to help students who are grieving. The school district remembered McKinney as a great student and promised to honor her memory for the rest of her senior year.
There was a GoFundMe campaign started to help McKinney’s family pay for the funeral. Before it was over, the fundraiser had brought in $20,838.
Watch the video below to learn more about this terrible event and how McKinney’s family and friends are remembering her.