Michigan boy dies on field trip after tree falls on him at Nature Center

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A 12-year-old boy has died after being hit by a falling tree at a southeast Michigan nature center where he and classmates were on a field trip. authorities said.

Declan Carter was at the Howell Nature Center when the tree fell and hit him in the head Thursday afternoon, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said. The boy was airlifted to hospital, where he later died.

The boy was a student at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Northville and was taking part in an overnight camping trip at the nature center, located about 55 miles (89 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

Sheriff Michael Murphy said chaperones were teaching students how to start a fire when they heard a loud crack, prompting members of the group to run before the 20-foot-tall (6.1-meter) tree with a rotting trunk fell on the boy . , hitting him in the head.

“I have no words other than it’s a tragic accident that just makes absolutely no sense,” Murphy told WXYZ-TV.

Declan was the son of Northville City Councilor John Carter, Mayor Brian Turnbull said.

Howell Nature Center CEO Tina Bruce said the center is “gathering all the facts and working closely with authorities and our staff to understand what happened today.” She said the nature center will be closed Friday so “staff can regroup and process today’s events.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and their family during this difficult time,” Bruce added in a statement.

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