26-Year-Old Pastry Chef Was Having the 'Best Day of Her Life.' Then She Got Hit by a Rock While Hiking and Died
Gianna Buzzetta, 26, was hiking Makaleha Falls Trail alongside her boyfriend Connor Quinton when she was hit on the head by a falling rock on Sunday, March 23, according to Hawaii News Now and ABC affiliate KGTV.
'They heard a really loud noise,' Gianna's father, Sal Buzzetta, told KGTV. 'He looked up, but couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from. Within a second, it happened … The rock dislodged from quite a ways up … then it landed on her.'
Quinton was able to pull Buzzetta from the water beneath the falls, but couldn't get cell service to call for emergency assistance. He ran three miles for help, family friend Carlye Wund, who organized a fundraiser for the family, told NBC affiliate KNSD-TV.
Related: Man Rescued After Tumbling from Cliff While Searching for Missing Dog
When first responders arrived on the scene, they found Buzzetta unconscious, but breathing, and she was also bleeding heavily from an apparent head wound, Hawaii News Now reported.
She was airlifted to Wilcox Memorial Hospital and then on to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where she died a day later from her injuries.
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Her parents, who were able to fly to Hawaii in time to say goodbye, say that it was their daughter's dream to visit the waterfall.
"She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life," her mom told KGTV.
Related: Man Dies After Slipping on Tree Branch While Trying to Jump Off Waterfall
Now, those who knew Gianna — who had been the executive pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad — are mourning the loss of a vibrant talent who loved the outdoors as much as her time in the kitchen.
'She was in nature,' her mom said. 'That was her element. She was with the love of her life. In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us. She was living in the best moment she ever had, and that's priceless.'
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