close
close

Gottagopestcontrol

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • 12-year-old boy dies after a tree falls on him at Howell Nature Center
    Suffolk

    12-year-old boy dies after a tree falls on him at Howell Nature Center

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    A 12-year-old boy was killed Thursday when a tree fell on him at the Howell Nature Center, officials said as a nature center instructor spoke to a church group.

    Northville city officials identified the boy Friday as Declan Carter and said he was a sixth-grader at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in their parish.

    “Tragically, a tree fell on sixth-grader Declan Carter during a field trip from Our Lady of Victory School to Howell Nature Center yesterday and he was airlifted to Mott’s Children Hospital at the University of Michigan,” Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull said in a statement Letter to residents on the city’s website. “Everyone did what they could for Declan, but his energetic life was suddenly interrupted.”

    The letter included a photo of Declan and his family.

    “I had the pleasure of getting to know Declan, having visited him and his sister Georgia outside their home many times, especially for lemonade on hot summer afternoons,” the mayor said. “He had great academic, athletic (as one of the best runners in the region) and social potential as part of the fabric and DNA of Northville.”

    “All of us at City Hall send our thoughts and prayers to the family, including his father John Carter (an esteemed city council leader), his mother Liz Carter and his sisters Georgia and Ainsley,” his letter said.

    “It is up to us to keep Declan’s spirit and memory alive in our hearts and to always have the Carter family in our prayers from this day forward,” he added. “All of our Northville employees who are appointed and elected are like family. The loss of one individual is felt by everyone, as is the rest of our close-knit community.”

    Turnbull said he has petitioned Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office to allow the city to fly the flag at half-staff at City Hall in Declan’s memory, and he is asking everyone in the community to do the same.

    Livingston County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to Howell Nature Center around 3:30 p.m. to a report that a tree had fallen on a 12-year-old boy, authorities said in a news release.

    First responders arrived and paramedics flew the boy to Mott’s Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

    Sheriff Michael Murphy said in a statement Thursday that the boy died of his injuries in the hospital around 8 p.m.

    Investigators said the boy was visiting the nature center with a group from Our Lady of Victory Catholic Parish in Northville. They said a teacher was talking to the children when a tree snapped and landed on the boy.

    Because the incident occurred in full view of other children, officials at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School said in a statement that they decided to cancel the remainder of the field trip so that students could return home to their families.

    They also said they contacted all parents of students on the trip.

    “We have been working with the Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic School Division to coordinate counseling services for all of our students who may be impacted by this news, particularly those in sixth grade,” Principal Kate Szuba and Assistant Principal Emily Wesley said in a letter to the parents.

    Szuba and Wesley also said the school is working with the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Catholic school division to coordinate counseling services for students who may be affected by the news, particularly those in sixth grade.

    Additionally, any parents of students at the school who have questions or concerns about their children or feel their child needs more support should contact school staff, they said.

    “Our prayers are with the students and family as they navigate this very difficult situation,” administrators said in their letter. “Please know that we will share any updates the family wishes to share. Furthermore, we ask that you join our school in respecting its need for privacy and sensitivity.”

    Nature center officials said they closed the facility Friday to give staff a chance to “come together and process what happened.” The center will reopen Saturday, but all Girl Scouts and Sky Tykes programs have been canceled.

    They announced this on the center’s Facebook page. Tina Bruce, the center’s CEO, also issued the following statement:

    “We are heartbroken and deeply saddened by the incident that occurred here at Howell Nature Center. Our thoughts and prayers are with the child, his family, his classmates, teachers and staff during this difficult time.”

    [email protected]

    @CharlesERamirez

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Caradoc Wyn
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads