California TV producer killed in freak rope swing accident

California State Parks officials said rope swings are prohibited in the parks

A young woman in California died after a freak accident on a rope swing caused her to fall 30 feet.

Kathryn Hoedt, 23, was reportedly using a rope swing near Folsom Lake, just outside of Sacramento, shortly before her death.

She was a journalist who produced the morning show for California broadcaster KCRA 3. Her co-workers "universally said she was one of the nicest people they ever worked with,” according to the broadcaster.

Witnesses said Ms Hoedt hit the rocks beneath the rope swing after falling 30 feet. Her friends helped move her to a nearby boat ramp where an off-duty doctor attempted CPR while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

Ms Hoedt was pronounced dead later that day at the Sutter Roseville Medical Centre.

Her mother, Beth, Hoedt, spoke with KCRA about the loss of her daughter.

“I can’t believe it’s real, you know, she was such a bright light,” she said. “Today, I tried to get some work done, and it was really, really hard because I knew Katie’s never going to be calling me again, and it’s going to be just something that I’m never going to get used to.”

The broadcaster said its staff was "heartbroken" to lose Ms Hoedt.

“She had a vibrant personality, she lit up the newsroom with her enthusiasm and her laughter was contagious," the network's news director Derek Schnell, said in a statement. "She was also proud to be a journalist and she was deeply committed to serving our community. Katie had a bright future ahead of her and she’ll be deeply missed.”

Kathryn “Katie” Hoedt, 23, died after a freak accident resulted in her falling 30 feet from a rope swing near Folsom Lake near Sacramento, California (screengrab/Instagram)

It's unclear why the rope swing failed, but local officials noted that such swings typically are not allowed at the lake.

Mike Howard, the Folsom sector superintendent for California State Parks, said the agency prohibits the swings in state parks, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Another state parks official said that changing water levels throughout the year can shift how far a person can fall if they jump or slip off of a rope swing.

“You don’t know who put the rope swing up. You don’t know how strong that is. You don’t know the tree, the branch. Anything can give out and it’s extremely dangerous,” Barry Smith, the chief ranger of the Gold Fields District of California State Parks, told KCRA.