A TEEN rodeo star who was on a plane that smashed into a mountain range moments after taking off has died.
Amelia Palmer, 13, and her entire family were found near the wreckage in a Wyoming national forest on Labor Day.
She was in a four-seat plane alongside her parents Earl Palmer and Cindy Palmer as well as her brother Aeron Palmer, 11[/caption]
The rodeo has remembered the teen as ‘pure sunshine’[/caption]
Her parents, Earl Palmer, 54, and Cindy Palmer, 53, were airlifted to a trauma center in critical condition, while her 11-year-old brother Aeron Palmer was driven to the hospital with minor injuries.
Amelia was also airlifted to the Incident Command Post and then transported to the hospital, but she couldn’t be saved.
The family had taken off in a small four-seat Piper PA-28 at Bighorn National Forest, about four hours north of Cheyenne, before the plane came crashing down.
It’s unclear what caused the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
An initial FAA report states that during the plane’s initial climb, the “aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances,” the Idaho Statesman reported.
Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez said that coordination between first responders and law enforcement throughout rescue efforts was “exceptional.”
“This was, and still is, a very fluid scene. Our thoughts are prayers are with the victims and their family.”
Before her sudden death, little Amelia had been crowned the Treasure Valley Rodeo’s Mini Queen, according to mourning friends and family on social media.
Rodeo videographer Matt Sharp shared now-heartwrenching videos of the moment that smiling Amelia proudly displayed her sash and boarded a horse-drawn carriage alongside other queens.
The teen looked radiant in her cowboy hat as she waved at the packed stands of attendees who came to watch the cattle wrangling events.
In the post, Sharp said that he was grateful to uncover the video because “at the end of the day, our memories are all that we have left.”
“Amelia will be dearly missed,” he wrote.
FAMILY TRAGEDY
The Treasure Valley Rodeo described Amelia as “pure sunshine” and said she “brought joy to everyone you met.”
“Our rodeo family won’t be the same without you, and our hearts are truly broken today.
“Please join us in lifting her family up in prayer.”
A description for a GoFundMe started to raise money for the family said that they’ve suffered a “devastating tragedy.”
“The family is in desperate need of love, strength, and healing right now,” the organizer wrote.
The description provided little updates on the parents’ condition, but did say that Earl would need “major reconstructive surgeries.”
They will need help with medical bills, household bills, travel costs, and funeral costs,” the description read.
“Please give what you can to help. Every donation helps.”
