A North Carolina community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of 13-year-old Julia Rooney, a beloved cheerleader and middle school student whose sudden death has left classmates, coaches, and neighbors in shock.
Julia died after a tragic golf cart accident Monday evening in a Lake Norman neighborhood, according to the Mooresville Police Department.
Authorities said Julia was riding in the front passenger seat of a golf cart when she fell from the vehicle as the driver made a low-speed left turn. The crash happened around 5:15 p.m. near the intersection of Swamp Rose Drive and Golden Star Lane, close to Woodland Heights schools.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene and found Julia seriously hurt. She was taken to the hospital, but later died from her injuries.
Police said several other children were involved in the incident, though there is no indication that any other vehicles were part of the crash. Investigators and crash reconstruction experts were later seen examining the scene as the investigation continued.
Now, the focus has turned to remembering the young girl whose life touched so many people.
School officials confirmed that a Woodland Heights Middle School student had died and shared an emotional message with the school community, saying the loss had deeply shaken everyone who knew her. Extra counselors were reportedly brought in to help students cope, and one community member said the grief inside the school was overwhelming.
According to those who knew her, Julia was the kind of kid who made an impression everywhere she went.
Her cheer gym, ATA Cheer Lake Norman, shared a devastating tribute, calling Julia a shining light with a bright smile who had been part of their family for more than seven years. The team said she was more than an athlete — she was a friend, a teammate, and someone who made every room brighter.
“The mat will never feel the same without her,” the tribute said.
Others remembered her just as lovingly.
A school deputy described Julia as someone whose kindness made the world more beautiful and said her memory would never be forgotten. A community member wrote that Julia was “always extremely nice to everyone” and said her death had stunned the entire school.
Julia’s cheer team had previously described her as a flyer and tumbler who loved cheer, especially tumbling, and had a personality people naturally gravitated toward.