Friends remember ‘independent’ 24-year-old killed in kayaking accident
Jaidha Lindsay served the homeless with the organization, All for Him Ministry.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Friends are remembering a 24-year-old Murfreesboro woman who made a difference in her community. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says Jaidha Lindsay was killed Saturday morning after a boat hit her kayak on Percy Priest Lake.
Heather Young, founder of All for Him Ministry, said Lindsay lived to serve others. That’s what she did when Lindsay served the homeless with her organization.
“She just was so strong and independent and amazing,” Young said. “And a memory I was thinking about when I texted you was, she helped my daughter with her homeschool homework because I didn’t know how to do it.”
Young met Lindsay at a Lebanon nutrition shop Lindsay’s mother owned about three years ago. She was also there when Lindsay’s mother got sick and died unexpectedly last year.
So, when Young heard about what happened over the weekend on Percy Priest, she was taken back again.
“I felt a punch in the stomach,” she said. “That’s the only thing I could say. I couldn’t breathe for a second.”
TWRA said Lindsay was on Percy Priest kayaking when she was hit by a boat. They said she wasn’t wearing a life vest. Geoff Luckett, American Canoe Association certified instructor, said life vests are the reason why so many water fatalities happen in Tennessee.
That’s why he suggested paddlers wear bright colors and a life vest, of course.
“Also in the spring, the water is still very frigid,” Luckett said. “So, if you go overboard and you hit the cold water, your body gasps, just a really big gasp, and when you have that gasp you can respirate that water into your lungs and it can cause all kinds of problems.”
TWRA said what happened to Lindsay is still under investigation.
Young said while Monday’s news was difficult to digest, she knows Lindsay is back with her mom.
“She made such a difference in her short life here and I need people to know that,” Young said.
A GoFundMe was set up for Lindsay’s funeral expenses.
The American Canoe Association and the TWRA will team up May 20 for low-cost kayaking instruction for National Safe Boating Week.
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