Twelve-year-old Declan Carter was killed Thursday at Howell Nature Center in Howell, Michigan after a tree fell on him. Northville city officials identified Carter Friday as a sixth grader from Our Lady of Victory School.
Brian Turnbull, the Mayor of Northville, where Declan Carter and his family were residents, said that he personally knew Declan and the Carter family. In a statement released Friday, Turnbull described Carter as some with great potential academically, athletically (as one of the top runners in the area) and socially as a part of the fabric and DNA of Northville."
What Happened To Declan Carter?
As per the statement released by the Mayor of Northville, Declan Carter and other students from the Out Lady of Victory School were on a trip to the Howell Nature Center when the tree fell on him. According to The Detroit News of Michigan the tree fell on the boy as the nature instructor was speaking to a church official.
Mayur Turnbull's statement said that Carter was airlifted from the park and taken to Mott’s Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan. However, Sheriff Michael Murphy of Livingston County said that Carter died Thursday at around 8 p.m. at the hospital.
"Everyone did all they could for Declan, but his energetic life was suddenly halted," Mayor Turnbull said.
"It is up to us to keep Declan’s spirit and memory alive in our hearts and from this day forward, to always have the Carter family in our prayers," he added.
"All of our Northville staff who are appointed and elected are like a family. A loss for one is felt by all, along with the rest of our close-knit community."