Photo: Norwin High School Band
A Pennsylvania community is mourning a 15-year-old boy who died on Monday after falling at least 50 feet from a tall rock formation during a YMCA camping trip in Somerset County, reports say.
Nathan Kanczes was attending Teen Wilderness Camp through YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer in Fort Hill on Monday when he fell from a remote outcrop called Cove Rocks,according to thePittsburgh Tribune-Reviewand a statement from the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.
“They told me he had his rappelling ropes on, fell and died,” Nathan’s father, Bill Kanczes told theTribune-Review, calling Nathan a “camp guy.”
He added, “Nathan was a good kid. He took care of everyone.”
Nathan Kanczes.
Nathan was airlifted to Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center where he died from his injuries, YMCA officials said in the statement. The Somerset County coroner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
Leslie Truver said she was attending the camp with her children when the incident occurred, explaining, “It was horrifying,”according to WPXI. Nathan was a sophomore at Norwin High School and was a member of the school’s band,according to a Facebook postfrom the group.
Camp and YMCA staff are cooperating in the investigation.
The camp was canceled for the rest of the week with counselors available for both staff and campers, according to theTribune-Review.
Nathan’s classmates remembered him in the wake of his death, with 16-year-old Maria Ditoppa telling theTribune-Reviewthat he was dedicated to band.
“I’d see him at practice all the time and he’d always have a smile on his face,” Ditoppa said. “He would always be on the field, he would never complain about practice. He would always stick through the whole thing and never complain.”
source: people.com
