zippie2223 10 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Pa. Cub Scout Killed by Falling Tree GARDNERS, Pa. (AP) -- A 40-foot pine tree fell in a state park, killing a 7-year-old Cub scout and injuring his father and another boy while they slept in tents during a father-son weekend. Owen R. Lentz, a first-grader from Camp Hill, was killed when the tree fell early Sunday, Pine Grove Furnace State Park manager Kenneth J. Boyles said. Boyles said the accident was "against all odds." The weather was calm, but the tree was diseased, he said. Owen's father, Lee Lentz, who was asleep in the same tent, was struck on the head. He was treated at Carlisle Medical Center and released. Another scout in a tent next to the Lentzes, Christopher Carey, suffered a broken pelvis. He was in satisfactory condition at the medical center on Monday, a spokeswoman said. The scouts were part of a group of 11 from Camp Hill on a father-son weekend outing at the park in central Pennsylvania. Owen was a model student and a friend to other students at Schaeffer Elementary, said Kelly Collingsworth, his teacher. "He was a teacher's dream. He loved learning," she said. (LEADS with 5 grafs to correct name of park in 2nd graf to Pine Grove Furnace sted Grove Furnace, UPDATES injured boy's condition, picks up 6th graf 'The scouts') 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CUB_SCOUT_KILLED?SITE=VTRUT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Link to post Share on other sites
zippie2223 10 Posted June 8, 2004 Author Share Posted June 8, 2004 May god be with him and his family. My boy is the same age and it really hit home... ...Amen Link to post Share on other sites
acco40 95 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Drownings were quite frequent in the early days of Scouting as compared to today. I have read far too many instances of trees falling onto tents killing or injuring the occupants. Be vigilant in looking out for diseased or dead trees. On our May outing we camped next to a river. One tree looked "suspicious" and I made sure nobody camped underneath it. That tree posed no problems but the next day a tree on the other side of the river yielded a big "crack" and a large limb came crashing down to the forest floor. It DID get everyones attention. My deepest sympathies go out to the family. Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Our DE. E-mailed me this yesterday. Last year at our Council Camp Site we had two Lads hurt when a tree came down. The team that does the safety tour at camp had done their job. However with all the rain and all the storms, it came down when it was storming. One Lad got away with a few cuts, the other had a broken collar bone. I will of course remember this little fellow along with his family and friends in my prayers. Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
dsteele 20 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 May the Blessings of the Lord be with this boy. May His hand guide him into the light of salvation and eternal joy. May His blessings be with the family, the friends, the leaders both within and without Scouting. Sometimes bad things just happen. Healthy trees can be felled by unexpected storms. It happens fairly frequently. I feel the most for the father who, it seems, sufered only minor injuries and awoke to a dead son. It must be terrible. Unc. Link to post Share on other sites
whitewater 10 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 I can't imagine the shock and pain. They will be in my prayers. Link to post Share on other sites
zippie2223 10 Posted June 9, 2004 Author Share Posted June 9, 2004 When I first read this story, my little one was still sleeping so I went in and looked at him. A tear came to my eye. This poor family. You hear about this kind of thing a lot, freak accidents. But to be so young, my kids age, and doing something that we just did the week before. I'm at a loss of words... I'm not sure why this effected me so, but it has made me thankful for the little things, his silly little jokes, the fighting with his brother, the fight to get him to bathe now that its summer (for some reason he was under the impression that he don't have to bathe during summer).Go figure... May GOD be with him as his family Link to post Share on other sites
Jason OK 10 Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Jesus said the Kingdom of GOD belongs to children! I am thankfull to know we have grace with the Lord! Amen Link to post Share on other sites
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