Young woman killed in rope swing accident at Folsom Lake

Katie Hoedt, an alumna of San Jose State, was a producer at a Sacramento TV station.

A young woman was killed when she fell from a rope swing and landed on a rocky shore at Folsom Lake, state parks officials said.

Kathryn “Katie” Hoedt, 23, was on an outing with friends Saturday, Aug. 12, when she fell about 30 feet from the swing near Rattlesnake Bar, where the North Fork American River enters the lake. She received CPR from an off-duty doctor at a nearby boat ramp and then was taken to a Roseville hospital, where she died.

Hoedt had worked since October as a news producer for Sacramento TV station KCRA. Previously, she worked for KTXL, also in Sacramento, and for student publications at San Jose State University and then New York University. She grew up in the Sacramento area and attended Antelope High School.

A parks official told the Sacramento Bee that rope swings aren’t permitted at Folsom Lake and that rangers cut them down when they see them.

Her parents told KCRA that they think park employees should make a greater effort to remove the swings and should also post signs warning of the danger.  “Had Katie seen information like that or signs or been educated, she would have never gotten on that rope swing,” said her mother, Beth Hoedt.

The previous day, a person suffered major injuries in a fall at another Placer County swimming hole, the sheriff’s office said. The person was rescued by helicopter and taken to a hospital after falling from No Hands Bridge, over the North Fork American River near Auburn.