"Twilight" Fan Dies At Comic-Con After Being Struck By Car

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 has unfortunately been hit with tragedy. On Tuesday morning, an unidentified woman, 53, was hit by a car while rushing to line up for Thursday's Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 panel outside the SDCC convention center. She crossed against the light in order to maintain her place on line, and stumbled before a car hit her by accident. The driver was a 67-year-old man who stayed on the scene after the accident. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead.

The Twilight panel at Comic-Con is undoubtedly one of the most popular and sought-after panels at the convention. The final movie of the franchise, Breaking Dawn Part 2, is set to be released this November. The woman had been camping out at the center since Sunday, along with a group of friends. While her name has not been released yet, the fan has been identified as “Gisela” by some Twilight fansites. On Twitter, the victim's account (@Mad4Hugh) has been showered with condolences. #FandomisFamily and #RIPTwiFanG are trending as the Twilight fandom unites to honor a fellow fan. Fans are also hoping the panel, set to take place Thursday at 12:45, will have a moment of silence out of respect for Gisela.

Summit and parent company Lionsgate issued a joint statement regarding the tragedy (via The Hollywood Reporter):

Lionsgate, Summit and the entire Twilight community are saddened by the death of a Comic-Con fan today due to a traffic accident during the hours leading up to this year’s convention in San Diego. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends. She will be respectfully remembered this Thursday in Hall H.

Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer also offered his condolences via email, saying “It is with tremendous sadness that we offer our heartfelt condolences.” Comic-Con has rarely dealt with major incidents or tragedies; the last incident to occur was two years ago when one fan stabbed another with a pen inside the convention center's Hall H. The victim was treated for minor injuries. While Comic-Con is an exciting time for pop culture fans across the across the country, the accident has put a little bit of a damper on this year's festivities.

The convention is set to begin on Thursday July 12th and run through Sunday July 15th.

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