By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A 7-year-old girl drowned at the Oak Mountain State Park campground beach May 28 after the child separated from her parents and entered the lake.

The incident happened at about 2:30 p.m. when Birmingham resident Brianna Bryant entered the lake alone.

“The child was in the water possibly five or 10 minutes before someone found her,” said state park Superintendent Mike Jeffreys, noting the girl and her family were staying at the park’s campground. “She just got away from her parents and went out into the water.”

After a park visitor discovered Bryant’s body, she was removed from the lake and transported to Shelby Baptist Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The Pelham Fire Department and the Alabama Marine Police responded to the incident.

“It’s horrible. It was just a terrible accident,” Jeffreys said.