RCMP have confirmed the teenage boy who was killed by a falling tree during a field trip Wednesday was 13-years-old.
Sooke RCMP said Thursday that a 13-year-old teenage boy was unconscious, not breathing and trapped under a tree when emergency responders arrived at Camp Barnard on Wednesday afternoon. RCMP had received a report of a young man in medical distress at 3:26 p.m.
“Life-saving measures were performed on the teen by camp personnel and first responders but tragically the teen did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene,” Sooke RCMP wrote in a release.
A second child who was injured in the accident, which was on camp property, was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Our thoughts are with the young man’s family and friends as they grieve this very tragic incident,” Cpl. Dawn Gilhen of the Sooke RCMP said in a statement.
Sooke RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the incident. The Greater Victoria School District confirmed the boy was a Lansdowne Middle School student on Wednesday. Counselling and other support services have been offered to students, staff and parents. A critical incident response team has been deployed to the school.
Premier John Horgan also offered his condolences to the boy’s family and students at Lansdowne Middle School on Twitter.
My thoughts are with the student who was injured as a result of the falling tree. I wish you a speedy recovery.
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) June 20, 2019
Horgan also spoke about the accident during a press conference in Vancouver.
“I want to acknowledge the loss of life in my constituency yesterday,” Horgan said.
“A youngster from Lansdowne Middle School was killed in a tragic accident where a tree fell on Camp Barnard, a Boy Scout camp in my constituency, and I just want to offer my sincere condolences to the family and to those kids at Lansdowne who are grieving the loss of a friend at what is supposed to be a joyous end to the school year.
No one wants to ever hear of events of like this and now we’ve got families living it in Victoria so my sincere condolences to the family and heartfelt sorrow goes out to those who are addressing this issue right now.”
The name of the boy has not been released.
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