Tragedy as high school cheerleading captain, 15, dies after being kicked in the head by her father's horse
- Destiny Stafford, 15, was riding her father's horse at her aunt's home in Gastonia, North Carolina on Saturday when the horse bucked her off
- When the teen tried to get up, the horse proceeded to kick her in the head
- Destiny was airlifted to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte where she was put on life support
- After being deemed brain dead early Monday morning, her parents decided to take her off life support to donate her organs
- Destiny was a rising 10th grader at Stuart Cramer High School, where she the co-captain of the junior varsity cheerleading team
Tragic accident: Destiny Stafford, 15, died early Monday morning - three days after getting kicked in the head by her father's horse
A 15-year-old North Carolina girl has died after being kicked in the head by her father's horse over the weekend.
Officials with Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte told local news outlets that Destiny Stafford died early Monday from the injuries suffered in the Saturday accident.
Friends said the girl was riding her father's house at her aunt's home in Gastonia on Saturday when she was thrown from the horse, which proceeded to kick her in the head when she tried to get up.
Destiny was reportedly labeled brain dead at 1:17am Monday morning, at which point her family decided to take her off life support and donate her organs 'to let her give someone else life'.
'We know the God still answers prayers because thousands are praying somewhere else for their child to get her organs and they are receiving them,' her mother wrote online. 'She would love this and we don't want anyone else to ever feel this pain.'
Her injuries were so bad that she had to be airlifted to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte where she was put on life support.
Hundreds of students at Stuart Cramer High School gathered for a prayer vigil Sunday after they learned she had been critically injured.
Moving: Hundreds fathered on Sunday for a vigil at Stuart Cramer High School, where Destiny was a rising 10th grader
All-American: Destiny went brain dead early Sunday morning, at which point her parents decided to take her off life support. She was a co-captain of the junior varsity cheerleading squad in high school
Incredible loss: Destiny pictured far left with her mother, step-father and step-brothers in this family photo
Destiny was a rising 10th grader at the school, where she was a co-captain of the junior varsity cheerleading squad.
Audrey Devine, the principal of the school, had these kind words to stay at the vigil on Sunday.
'Our hearts are heavy as we want our sweet Destiny to recover and return to our storm family,' Devine said. 'The power is in prayer. Our sweet Destiny needs us to be on our knees every day.'
Friends, family and teammates remembered Destiny as a happy and outgoing girl who had a bright future ahead of her.
'I first met her at cheer tryouts,' Desera Rajnes, Destiny's co-captain, told the Charlotte Observer on Sunday. 'She made me feel at home right away. I’d always go over to her house to make our posters.'
Ashley Cloninger, teacher at Stuart Cramer and a family friend, told WBTV that Destiny was a 'precious girl, full of life and love. Always smiling loved to cheer and ride horses.'
Most watched News videos
- Murder suspects dragged into cop van after 'burnt body' discovered
- Prince Harry makes surprise video appearance from his Montecito home
- Appalling moment student slaps woman teacher twice across the face
- Shocking moment school volunteer upskirts a woman at Target
- English cargo ship captain accuses French of 'illegal trafficking'
- Crowd chants 'bring him out' outside church where stabber being held
- Shocking scenes at Dubai airport after flood strands passengers
- 'He paid the mob to whack her': Audio reveals OJ ordered wife's death
- 'Inhumane' woman wheels CORPSE into bank to get loan 'signed off'
- Brits 'trapped' in Dubai share horrible weather experience
- Shocking footage shows roads trembling as earthquake strikes Japan
- Chaos in Dubai morning after over year and half's worth of rain fell