An 11-year-old girl from northwest suburban Cary was killed early Sunday when a tree fell on her tent during a storm in Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin.
Rescue crews responding about 4 a.m. found the girl and her 51-year-old father pinned underneath a tree that had fallen on their tent overnight during the storm at Devil’s Lake State Park, near Baraboo, Wisconsin, said Steve Schmelzer, superintendent of Devil’s Lake State Park.
A 14-year-old boy was able to climb out of the tent unharmed, Schmelzer said.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene, Schmelzer said. The man and boy were both taken to St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, where they were treated and released, Schmelzer said.
The Sauk County Coroner’s office confirmed the girl’s death, but would not release additional information Sunday afternoon pending family notification.
No one else was injured during the storm at the park, Schmelzer said.
The Department of Natural Resources, which is investigating the incident, expressed sympathies to the family in a statement.
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“Visitor safety is the number one priority on all properties the department manages and we do our very best to provide a safe environment for our visitors,” according to the statement from the DNR. “Campgrounds are inspected regularly and action is taken to eliminate potential hazards whenever possible. Unfortunately, not all possible events can be foreseen.”
