Tragedy on vacation • Camp counselor killed by collapse of a tree

Jewish Kit Camp counselor in Northern California, near Yosemite Park, was killed yesterday (Wednesday).

The counselor sat with four other instructors to rest in the shade of an old tree near the dining room of the camp, and the tree collapsed.

Ennis Rothenberg, 21, was killed instantly; four additional counselors were seriously injured and were rushed to the hospital.

Kane Karmez, the camp director said that 250 students of the site were at that time at breakfast in the dining room so they were not harmed.

He added that a camp physician provided first aid to the wounded that were evacuated by ambulance which arrived within minutes, and that the counselors calmed the panicked students.
The collapsed tree also hit a power cord. Power cable broke and stopped for hours.

Local newspaper reports about the accident claims the conduct of the camp directors was flawed, since they had to notify parents immediately of the occurrence, but they only heard about it from the media.

Chana Friedman who lives in Polo Alto and two of her children went to camp, heard about the accident from a journalist who called her and asked details about the accident: "I was shocked," she said, "I did not know anything about the accident. As soon as the journalist called me I tried to call them but had no response."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!