A family camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains ended in tragedy for one family. A seven-year-old girl is said to have passed away after a tree fell onto her family’s tent while they slept at the Elkmont Campground.

 

According to park rangers, the call came in just after midnight to 911 for assistance after a two-foot wide red maple fell onto a tent at campsite B-5.

 

This is the first time something like this has happened in the park’s history, as all other 11 accidents involving a tree falling and killing someone were more primarily related to motor-vehicle accidents and people walking along trails.

 

Investigators say that the campground as well as an adjacent campground will be closed for a few days while they try to determine exactly what happened.

 

The last time someone was reported as being killed by a falling tree within the park was whenever a tree fell onto a car in 2019 during a heavy rainstorm. One person died in that accident.