An Illinois teen died while scuba diving in a Kankakee County quarry with his Venturing Crew 188 troop, a co-ed division of the Boy Scouts. Kenneth G. Uhl, who was only 16, was certified for open water diving.
The diving group realized Uhl was missing during a regular safety head count. Uhl failed to surface with the rest of the kids, and his diving partners were not able to find a bubble trail to locate him. The group then began to search for Uhl. Boy Scout representatives say proper diving protocol was followed.
Uhl was not breathing when emergency response personnel arrived at the scene, and attempts to revive him in the ambulance and at the emergency room failed. Uhl was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An investigation is ongoing, and at this time no information has been released about the cause of the accident. Uhl’s equipment reportedly passed the initial routine safety inspection, but all the gear has been sent off for special testing. Results of the autopsy have not bee released.
Uhl was a member of the Math and Scholastic bowl teams and had just been accepted into the National Honor Society. He was a high school junior.
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