NEW YORK (JTA) — A teenager at a JCC camp in West Virginia died after a tree limb fell on her during a rainstorm.
Leah Blum, 14, of Mount Lebanon, Pa., died July 22 at the Emma Kaufmann Camp, which is owned and operated by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.
A heavy tree limb about 4 feet in diameter fell on the girl after crashing on the permanent tent she was in. A camp doctor and nurse treated her until an ambulance arrived. Blum was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to reports.
About 30 of the 380 campers and several staff members attended her funeral on Sunday, the Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh reported. Grief counselors were set to remain at the camp as long as necessary.
Authorities are trying to figure out why the apparently healthy tree limb fell, though a lightning strike is considered likely.
