8th-grader with ‘caring heart’ dies after boating accident on Fourth of July, cops say

An eighth grader was killed while tubing on a lake in South Dakota on the Fourth of July, according to officials.

Emily “Emmy” Brynn Gorman was tubing on Lake Madison when a jet ski collided with her inner tube, a witness told KSFY.

Her mother, Stacy Gorman, wrote on Facebook that her daughter died at a hospital after being involved in a ”tragic boating accident.”

“Words cannot express our devastation and sorrow,” she wrote. “For all those that knew and loved Emmy, know that she was so special, so beautiful, and had the biggest heart of anyone. She cared so deeply for those she loved and for all animals.”

Gorman did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Emily Gorman’s obituary describes the 13-year-old as a girl with a “caring heart” and a “beautiful soul.”

She loved having sleepovers with friends and would always stay up late “joking, laughing and playing games,” the obituary says.

She also adored her family’s two pugs and would try to convince her parents to let her get another dog by texting cute pictures of the ones she wanted or preparing PowerPoint presentations.

The activities she participated in included dancing, cheering, cross country and volleyball.

She is survived by her parents and two sisters, according to the obituary.

“Words cannot capture what a beautiful soul Emmy is, her unique personality or how much she is loved and cherished by her parents, sisters, friends, family, and all those that knew her,” the obituary says.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide information about the boating accident.

Lake Madison is a 2,600-square-foot lake about 45 miles northwest of Sioux Falls.

This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 2:38 PM with the headline "8th-grader with ‘caring heart’ dies after boating accident on Fourth of July, cops say."