Tragedy on the James: Ozark woman killed in fall from tree platform above river

Kasha Porter and her mom, Amy Kipper, had planned a quiet paddling trip together on the James River Saturday afternoon.

At some point they were drawn to a tall tree along the river's edge, with several wooden platforms that someone had built high in the tree's branches.

While on the highest platform, 50 to 60 feet above the shallow river, the tree branch holding it up suddenly snapped. Porter, her mom and another paddler also on the platform plunged into the river, at a point where it was barely a foot deep.

Several paddlers nearby saw and heard the platform collapse, according to Cheryl Lovercamp, who lives directly across from where the accident happened.

"Some young man came into my house frantically calling for us to call 911," Lovercamp recalled. "He said someone had fallen and he thought a young girl had died."

Lovercamp ran to the river and found a young man sitting in the water, clearly in shock. Across the river, paddlers were holding Porter still, while her injured mother looked for help. Meanwhile, Lovercamp's 15-year-old son called 911 and gave them the exact location where the people were injured, a few hundred yards north of the James River bridge seven miles south of Nixa High School, on M Highway in Stone County.

Very quickly ambulances, firefighters, the Missouri Highway Patrol, Stone County Sheriff's deputies, and eventually a LifeWatch helicopter arrived, the helicopter landing on one of Lovercamp's neighbor's lawns.

The paddlers managed to put Porter, 20, in a canoe and get her across the river. They attempted to do CPR but Lovercamp said the young woman had a very severe head injury and didn't respond to resuscitation efforts.

"I sat with her mother, who was distraught and just so concerned for her daughter's welfare," Lovercamp said. "Her mom had bruises on the side of her head and her leg was hurt. I just tried to keep her as calm as possible. The river is a beautiful place, but this was something I never want to see again."

Porter, 20, died from her injuries. Her mother was briefly hospitalized, while the third person on the platform, a young man, suffered minor injuries and declined to be transported by ambulance, according to Sgt. Jason Pace with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Pace said the patrol is still investigating the circumstances of the accident.

"It appears the tree branch holding the platform gave way and the three fell to the ground, 50 to 60 feet above the river and ground. "It appears the platform has been in place for several years, but it's unknown what the intent for it was. Our officer who investigated it said it was very, very shallow, 2 feet deep at most."

Lovercamp said there were three platforms built into the tree, each connected with a rope ladder. She recalled seeing people pitch a small tent at the highest platform in the past and camp out overnight.

On Wednesday, a man was observed removing parts of the platform and rope ladders. It remains unclear who installed the platforms or who owns the tree, since it's growing from the edge of the river.

"It's just terrible what happened to her," Lovercamp said. "You never know what kind of dangers there can be on a river, especially after all the floods we've had. There are rope swings hanging from the trees, but you don't know how long they've been there or who put them up or how shallow the water is below them."

According to her obituary, Porter lived in Ozark and was a 2015 graduate of Sparta High School, and later attended classes at Ozarks Technical Community College. She recently began working with disabled youths at Springfield-based Arc of the Ozarks.

Her family allowed Porter's organs to be donated to help give the gift of life to others. Her funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday at Barnes Family Funeral Home, Ozark, followed by burial in the Sparta Cemetery.

Visitation will be Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at www.barnesfamilyfunerals.com.