13-year-old dies in hammock accident

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 13-year-old girl is dead after an accident while she was laying in a hammock Saturday.

Peri Segun had just jumped into the hammock in which her 16-year-old sister, Eren, was already in laying in when a brick pillar fell onto the hammock.

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KCCI reported that one end of the hammock was tied to the pillar, which contained a light post, and the other was attached to a tree, according to a police report.

The brick pillar fell onto Peri's head.

Her father tried CPR until medical help arrived and Peri was taken to a hospital.

She died at 12:52 p.m.

"She was very busy and very well-rounded," school principal Nancy Dowdle told The Des Moines Register. "She was very bright and considerate of others."

Peri was about to graduate from St. Augustin Catholic School next week as a presidential scholar for her high scores on state assessments.

According to a police report, the brick pillar had been driven 7 inches into the ground with no reinforcement,

Phil Delafield, a city official, said there are no regulations for brick posts like the one that collapsed because they are considered decorative.

Cox Media Group