The family of a 9-year-old girl who died from injuries sustained in a tragic bounce house accident last weekend hosted an “honor walk” in her memory on Friday before donating her organs.
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hammond and two other children were playing in a bounce house in Reno, Nevada last Sunday when the bounce house was lifted about 10 feet into the air, getting caught in neighborhood power lines, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, the Associated Press reported Friday.
First responders rescued the children, and Hammond was taken to the hospital while the other kids were treated for minor injuries on the scene, AP reported. NV Energy turned power off in the area for the rescue, causing a two-hour power outage for about 3,000 customers, according to AP’s report.
The Sheriff’s Office spokesman told the outlet that an investigation into the accident is still ongoing.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Hundreds of community members — including family, friends, members of Hammond’s soccer team, first responders and law enforcement, even the family dog — gathered at the Renown Regional Medical Center on Friday for an honor walk before Lizzy’s family donated her organs, local outlets said.
Local news station 2News reported that the walk was the largest the hospital has ever seen and that the donation of her organs is expected to help between 80 and 100 other sick individuals. The station described the medical center’s lobby as “packed” with people there to honor Hammond.
Hammond was then taken through the hallways lined with supporters before being taken into the operating room, which Renown spokesperson Stacey Sunday said was an “emotional” moment, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. A spokesperson for Renown did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“We believe that her beautiful spirit will carry on within those individuals that she helps,” Hammond’s family said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Though Hammond was young, her family described her as an active community volunteer.
“Lizzy loves all first responders,” they said in the statement. “She was extremely patriotic and wholeheartedly supported the U.S. military, as well as her local police, sheriff and fire departments. She was a warm, kind, and selfless girl who loved everything and everyone.”
“Our precious Lizzy was a beautiful, intelligent, silly, vibrant little girl who was full of life,” the Hammonds told 2News. “She was a daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, teammate and beloved friend.”
“We are truly heartbroken for the family,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam in a statement to the AP.
Balaam added, “I speak on behalf of every deputy, firefighter, trooper, dispatcher, and medic who responded to this incident as well as all area first responders when I say to the family ‘our prayers are with you, our thoughts are with you and we are here to help in any way that we can.’”
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