A hike at a Nashville-area summer camp turned deadly Monday morning when a falling tree struck and killed a 15-year-old boy at YMCA’s Camp Widjiwagan in Antioch.
Metro PD said first responders rushed to the camp on Smith Springs Road around 11:20 a.m. after counselors leading a group hike came across a tree that had already fallen and was resting against another tree just above the trail.
Investigators said a counselor warned campers not to touch the leaning tree as the group walked beneath it. As the teen passed under it, another camper reportedly grabbed the tree in what detectives described as a pull-up motion, knocking it loose and sending it down onto the boy.
Fellow campers and staff worked together to lift the tree off him before paramedics arrived. He was rushed by ambulance to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, YMCA of Middle Tennessee confirmed.
The organization said the accident happened during its Teen Extreme Camp program and that emergency protocols were activated immediately. In a statement, YMCA leadership said, “There are no words to adequately express the depths of our grief for this tragic loss,” and asked the community to keep the teen’s family, fellow campers and responding staff in their thoughts.
A support team has been sent to Camp Widjiwagan to help campers and staff process the incident, with the organization saying its focus right now is on caring for everyone impacted.
Metro PD has ruled the death accidental. Developing story.