American tourist pictured smiling before elephant flipped safari truck killing her
An American tourist who was killed after an elephant flipped her safari truck has been identified as an elderly woman who was enjoying her ‘last big adventure’.
Gail Mattson, 79, of Minnesota, was pictured smiling and holding a flower on the safari vehicle in Zambia the day that it was charged by a five-ton bull elephant, her family told KSTP.
Mattson was ‘loving life’ while experiencing the game drive at Kafue National Park on Saturday when the elephant attacked the vehicle carrying her and five other tourists.
Her family said the US Embassy informed them of her death. Mattson was living between Minnesota and Arizona before going on vacation, they said.
‘She had told us that this safari was going to be her last big adventure,’ her friend, John Longabauth, told the TV station.
‘Because her birthday is in the summer – I think she was going to be 80, and she felt like she would start slowing down. To be honest, I don’t know if she’d slow down or not. But at least you wouldn’t be traveling as far, probably.’
Mattson was partaking in a group tour with Wilderness Zambia, whose CEO Keith Vincent confirmed her death and initially said she was 80 years old. Vincent explained why the tour driver stopped suddenly, as was captured in a video shared online.
‘Our guides are all extremely well-trained and experienced,’ stated Vincent. ‘But sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough.’
Mattson’s son, Blake Vetter, did not cast doubt on the driver’s actions.
‘She was really looking forward to this one and she also knew there were risks and that any time something could happen,’ Vetter told the Daily Mail on Thursday.
‘People want to blame the elephant and the driver, it’s awful how people don’t know what’s going on…
‘The elephant was being an elephant. My mom would be the first to defend the driver and the elephant.’
Another tourist on the safari vehicle was seriously injured, and the four others suffered minor injuries.
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