A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of the 14-year-old girl who was killed by falling rocks in Glacier National Park on Aug. 12.
The account, established by friends of the family, seeks $20,000 to cover funeral costs for the girl, identified as Ayva Sparrow of Farr West, Utah. As of the morning of Aug. 16, it had raised more than $11,000.
“Any extra money will be given to the family to supplement their income allowing them the time they need as a family,” the page states. “Every little bit helps.”
Sparrow was on vacation traveling with her family along Going-to-the-Sun Road at about 7 p.m. on Aug. 12 when falling rocks struck the family’s westbound vehicle near the East Tunnel. The rocks hit the top of the vehicle and shattered the rear windshield, fatally injuring the teen and also injuring her parents and two other children in the vehicle.
A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance responded but was unable to airlift the girl because of her unstable condition, according to Glacier National Park. Flight paramedics traveled with her via ground ambulance to Kalispell. The girl died while being transported to a local hospital.
The two adults suffered significant bruises and were transported to area hospitals by Babb and Browning ground ambulance. The two other children in the vehicle had minor injuries and were also carried by ambulance to the hospital.
The park said the last fatal injury from rockfall on Going-to-the-Sun Road occurred in 1996.
The GoFundMe page describes the Sparrows as a “very close knit family” who “loved going on adventures and spending time with each other.” It says “Ayva could light up any room she entered with her contagious personality” and that she “will be missed dearly by her family and community.”
The friends who organized the GoFundMe said the page was established to help the grieving family.
“If you have ever met this outstanding family you know they love everyone,” they said. “They are willing to help when others are in need.”
To visit the GoFundMe page, visit www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-sparrow-family.