7-Year-Old Girl Swinging in Hammock Killed When Tree Uproots: It Is a 'Tragic Accident'

Photo: Memorial Service for Sabina Henderson/Facebook

Sabina Surjit Henderson, a 7-year-old girl from Virginia, was killed on Saturday when a tree toppled over and struck her as she swung in a hammock at a family gathering, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office confirms to PEOPLE.

“The 7-year-old female received life-threatening injuries,” Kraig Troxell of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office tells PEOPLE. “She was airlifted from the scene and later succumbed to those injuries and passed away on Saturday.”

Both children were visiting the property — an 1870s farmhouse that is now used as a bed and breakfast in Purcellville,FOX 5reported — for a family celebration.

“It’s my understanding that it was the grandparent’s property, that it was a celebration for the grandfather, and it was a family gathering at that house,” Troxell says.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office believes that the rainy weather the region has experienced recently could have played a part in weakening the tree’s foundation. The tree was also “very old,” Troxell notes.

“All indications are that this is a tragic accident,” he explains. “There have been some questions about whether rain played a factor. I think there’s probably a couple of factors, but the ground is very soft right now.”

In a statement toNBC 4, Sabina’s father, Ben Henderson, described his daughter as an intelligent and humorous girl who brightened up the lives of all who knew her.

“Sabina was smart, witty girl who loved to tell jokes and make other people laugh,” Henderson, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, said in his statement tothe news station.

The family is holding amemorial service for Sabinaon September 28 in Brambleton.

source: people.com