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                                    ‘August 6 Pinned News’
To see the latest TV Report BY WLBZ Bangor Maine click here
Posted 10:06 AM
Argyle, Maine – An upstate NY camp, traveling towards their canoeing trip, abrubtly ended their excursion with a very serious motor vehicle accident in Argyle, Maine.
The van they were traveling in was pulling a trailer loaded with canoes, and crashed around 7 o’clock on north side Interstate 95 in Argyle, Maine, 15 miles north of Bangor.
The very grave accident, with a fatality of a 15-year-old Monsey, NY boy and 12 other injured children, occurred when the van containing teenage Yeshiva students from a camp in Seven Springs (contrary to media reports of Serene Springs), Bethel, NY overturned.
Eastern Maine Medical Center has gone into their mass casualty mode to handle the injuries. Maine State Police, A.I. are on the scene working together with New York State Police and Sullivan County Sheriffs.
Misaskim is dealing with all the notifications and successfully fought autopsy.
U/D 11:14 AM
A spokesperson from EMMC Hospital confirmed the following to VIN: They are treating 11 and their conditions are as follows – 1 critical, 1 serious, 3 fair, and 6 in good condition.
U/D 12:45 PM
A spokesperson from Congretation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine confirmed that there is a tremendous outpouring of assistance from the Jewish community. As a matter of fact, he had just come back from delivering new yarmulkas to all the boys, whose head coverings were lost in the accident.
Also, the EMMC Hospital and its staff is displaying great hospitability and care to the children, while their parents and families are still rushing to the scene.
U/D 1:14 PM
VIN News has confirmed that a private plane, sponsored by Misaskim Community Resource Center, has just left Farmingdale, Long Island, to pick up the niftar in Maine.
U/D 3:22 PM
VIN News has just learned that all boys were released from the hospital, except for three. All three teens are in critical condition, and we’re asking all our fellow Yidden to take a few moments of time and say some tehillim for them. The name of one has been released: Yehoshua Meshulem ben Sarah Leah.
U/D 3:52 PM
Another victim has been readmitted into the hospital for further treatment.
U/D 6:02 PM
The plane carrying the niftar and seven of the released victims is leaving Maine on its way to New York. The levayah will take place in Monsey, NY.
U/D 6:42 PM
THe levayah (funeral) Of Habocher Gedalia Rosenblat Z’L a student of shaarei arazim of Monsey will be held at 11 PM at Rabbi Adler’s shul, Khal Rav Sholom, on 7 North Rigaud Road, Spring Valley.
I was a witness to the accident and tried to help as best I can. Though I am not Jewish, I wanted to convey my condolences to the family of Gedalia. He sounds like a nice kid and I know that he is in a good place.
Please extend my regards to the families of Levi Shapiro and the other young men who were able to help at the scene before the emergency workers came. I arrived shortly after the accident and was impressed by their activity and responsibility under very traumatic circumstances.
everyone but the counselor has been discharged from the hospital.
Does anyone have an update on how the injured are doing?
I would like to clear up some of the misinformation I have been reading here about this tragic accident. The young man who was driving was NOT driving all night – he had just switched over about an hour before the accident happened. What caused the accident was a tire that blew out on the trailer. Please let’s put our energy into praying for all of those who were involved. Even those who were not physically injured are hurting and need your prayers and good thoughts. The Franklin family are wonderful people and please let’s send them our prayers as well. Trying to place blame will not bring Gedalia back, may he rest in peace. Please let’s support his family and help them get through this difficult and painful time with our prayers and actions. Thank you.
i never saw someone as humble as gedalia, qwite nice, never did i hear him scream, never was he on top.
17 YEARS AGO I WAS A PASSENGER IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH 2 BOCHURIM WERE NIFTAR
AND AS A HEAD COUNSELOR
I ALSO OWN A VAN WITH A 18’TRAILER
A FEW QUICK POINTS
DONT JUDGE UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL THE REAL FACTS (years ago the FDNY accused hatzola of mishandeling a ill fire fighter so many of “unzere” were eager to believe and jump to conclusions about how well that member was trained turning our backs on a most special org.)I DONT THINK ANYONE HAS THE REAL STORY
this camp is run totally leshem shomayim offering a wilderness program as an alternative to the ” reg” camp program if this was a boyscout CAMP ….
we are too often our own worst enemy.
What happened to “Dan L’Kaf Zchus”? My Daughter was in the Camp Sternberg van that turned approximately 20 years ago. The tire blew and who are you going to blame for that.?
BTW, there are many similarities to that accident. This is what I am aware of at the present time. 1 – The counselor (who was a passenger) was killed. 2 – She too changed her seat to accommodate a last minute addition. 3 – There was a serious neck injury. 4 – There was a broken collar bone. 5 – The girls were going canoing.
Stop the conjecturing (for you ppl out there who dont know what that word means, it means stop talking out of your posterior!).
You dont know what happened. Stop blaming “inexperienced teenagers” etc. When I was a teen and living FAR from NY, I was drving more miles in a year than all my NY friends put together.
Its simple. You have no idea what happended etc so please stop.
A friend of mine had a good point:
He said, Take what you will from this tragedy, whether it be in ruchniyus or gashmayios, to drive safley or be a better person, but take something.
May Hashem finally bring us home and may we all be zoche to the beeas goel tzedek, BBA.
My thoughts are with the families. Letting teen children travel with inexperienced drivers of a van pulling a large trailer, and not having occupants buckle up is such a tragegy.
For all you people conjecturing on the derech ha’teva cause of this tragedy, keep in mind it could have been as simple as an animal such as a bear or a moose crossing the road directly in front of the van. Having had a huge buck jump out directly in front of me and my car getting smashed to the tune of over 10K, I could tell you its not the greatest thing. BH we were able to walk away from it.
To 11:17 PM
I read your post to all those busy with the type of vehicle.
Please reread the post I wrote at 9:33 PM. I clearly state, agree and understand that all is in the hands of the RBSO.
I must restate what many people do not know; vans loaded with people are involved in a disprportionate number of single vehicle accidents for many reasons. These involve altered vehicle response related to overload as well as a shift in weight distribution. Driver inexperience and insufficient rest may also be involved here.
I live across the street from Gedalia. As Gedalia’s last act of chesed, he gave up his seat (which would have saved his life) and sat in an uncomfortable one in the back of the van for one of the boys who didn’t want to sit in this uncomfortable seat.
BTW, there was a media frenzy here of 2 Channel 7-ABC, a Channel 2-CBS, and 1010Wins who spent hours running around here to get a story and left right before the levaya (probably because they were told that enough was enough here)
This bochur that was niftar was a tzadik and left the world doing a mitzvah. This Bachur gave up his seat to make someone else happy and not to have fighting over his good seat.
It’s amazing how go-d works.
May we only hear bsuros tovos.
Gavriel
Either the driver fell asleep or tried avoiding something in the road- eg: a deer?
Lets not blame the driver. The driver did not plan this to happen.
if there is any blame then blame the stupid camp for sending a 20 year old to be a driver of 15 people.
The camp is stupid for sending a young inexperienced driver for 12 hours. Even if they switched drivers and took turns there is still no excuse for ANY CAMP to have a driver under 25 years, not married, and without many months of experience driving on upstate roads.
As a parent that has three children in sleep away camp I really hope that my sons and daughter camps do not have such young inexperienced drivers.
This is a subject that I never thought about but will call the camps tomorrow and If I find out that there are 20 year old drivers for campers I will raise hell and take my kids out of the camp.
These type ofaccidents are avoidable.
When it’s our time to go it’s our time to go but we can’t sleep on the double yellow line and act with an attitude if go–d wanted to take us……..
May we only hear good news from now on and may the families of these tradgedies have comfort and also know that klal yisroel shares in their pain and are all behind them and will do anything they need from us.
Zev
Just a reminder to all those who are busy with the type of vehicle, and whether or not so and so was was wearing a seatbelt etc….. Don’t forget there is a God. He is in charge, and if your time is up he willf ind you in your bed sleeping if necessary. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful and all that but this was obviously unfortunately meant to happen and these poor counselors were the ones who were emant to be driving. Baruch Dayan Haemes. May the parents and family have a Nechama.
My heart breaks for the parents of this young man, I have a 15 year old granddaughter and I can’t imagine how our family would feel if this happened to us. We all need each other in some small way to share in each other’s pain and sorrow. I live near Mt. Katahdin and see many hikers over the summer,so this tragic news hit our area too. Shalom, Peace of God be with all concerned.
MLC
There is a lot of room for Tshuva and changes in our ways. All is always in the hands of the Ribono Shel Olam BUT
Vans like these are dangerous when loaded with people, let alone towing extra weight. Thw weight shifts the weight distribution away from the steering part of the van and I can guarantee that the van was overloaded. The number of seats is not an indication of the weight limit. These vans are often used as chrch buses and are very, very often implicated in chrch or footbal team accidents. many insurance companies refuse to insure these any longer.
We should refuse to let these vehicles be used for our loved ones.
say tehillim 4 yeshia meshilom ben sura leah the consoler who was driving,the 2 conslers switched driving hr b4 xcident
The Levayeh would take place 11:00 pm at 7.N.regurd in Behm”d Ahavas shalom
To Rabbi Chaim Tropper is there any way I could reach you now?
Please post
Zvi
it would be a big Mitzvah for anyone who is able to
to attend this Levayah
THIS IS THE ONLY FORM OF CHIZIK
we could now give to this FAMILY
the levayah is now set to be on 11 PM
The Franklins are a wonderful family, and my tefillos go out for them too. Refuah shleimah to all the injured!
I am a rebbe in Beis Medrash Ner Aryeh in Valley Village California and three of my talmidim were involved in the terrible accident that took place this morning. I actually grew up in Bangor Maine and know first hand the members of the Jewish community and of their great acts of chesed. I would like to express my deepest Hakaras Hatov to the Podolsky family (Sandy, Barbara, Naomi, and Bruce) who were at the hospital from when the boys arrived and provided such love and care during those crucial moments of chaos and confusion. May Hashem grant you bracha and hatzlacha in all your endeavors, and may we all be zocheh to the bias goel tzedek bimhara biyamenu.
Almost hard to believe I am reading this tragic story. I was a guest at this very farm this past Shabbos – only two days ago – and I met these boys. Very sweet and wonderful people. To say I am left speechless is an understatement. May all those injured have full and speedy recoveries, and may Hashem guide us painlessly to the changes we need to make in our lives.
A very special thank you goes out to Mr & Mrs Neumann of Flatbush who at the time of the accident were vacationing in Maine recieved the call about the accident ran over to be with them and to comfort them till parents arrived. Tizku l’mitzvos.
reboinei shel olem
before we all start talking about losheon hora let as all listen to rabi shlesingers shiur of sunday morning where asks everyone to help another yid and not to go overboard on simchas and feed people
that is a practical way
loshon horah isnt the only mitzva
try aying good shabbbos and being nice to your fellow jew
plane left with F-32 and F-35 to make all the arrangements from farmingdale L.I.
Police ID Monsey boy killed in camp van crash
By SHAWN COHEN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 6, 2007)
ARGYLE TOWNSHIP, Maine – The van that crashed and killed a Monsey boy and injured 12 others this morning was driven by a 21-year-old camp counselor who had driven through the night for a canoeing and hiking trip in northern Maine, police said.
The 15-year-old boy who died has been identified as Gedalia Rosenblatt. His body is being flown back from Maine this afternoon so his family can hold a customary Jewish burial before sundown.
State police in Maine are waiting to speak with the driver, Yehoshua Hoffman, who remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The other staffer in the van was Yosef Franklin, 20, of Monsey. They were traveling with 11 yeshiva boys, ages 14 to 18, from Camp Seven Springs, in Bethel, N.Y.
The van, pulling a trailer loaded with canoes, overturned at least once and came to a rest upright about 7 a.m. in Argyle township, 10 miles north of Bangor, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash, but said that was difficult because most of the passengers were asleep at the time.
The van left Bethel at 8 last night.
“It appears the van drifted off into the median and that he (Hoffman) overcorrected,” McCausland said. “It overturned and came to rest in the sloping grassy area next to the travel lane.”
It took at least seven ambulances to transport all of the victims to a pair of hospitals in Bangor, McCausland said.
Rabbi Judah Hirsch of Congregaton Beth Aaron in Monsey said Hoffman, was undergoing surgery this afternoon and that doctors were hopeful he would recover from his injuries. Others in the van suffered mostly minor injuries, such as broken hands or feet, he said.
The van was carrying the boys from Camp Seven Springs to Maine so they could canoe the Penobscot River and hike Mount Katahdin.
Rabbi Hershel Rosenbaum of Misaskim, an organization that helps observant Jewish families deal with tragedies, said a member left about 2 p.m. by private plane to bring the child’s body back for burial today.
Hirsch said Gedalia would be buried at a cemetery at the junction of Brick Church Road and Route 306.
“He was a lovely soul, a very special student,” he said. While Gedalia’s death was very painful, Hirsch said he took comfort in knowing that the boy had gone on to the afterlife.
Staff writer Randi Weiner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Check back for updates at LoHud.com and read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News.
Hashem Yerachem!
yes when it hits home you feel it.
I know Shais for many many years – what a man, what a Yid, what a neshamah,
It’s so tragic.
“Hamakom Menachem Eschem”
May we all see an end to all tzoros already.
May we Zoicheh to the geulah shleimah
I konw the Franklins. Very nice “eidele” people…
I was at this beautiful farm/camp more than once. The boys there all looked like very nice, eidele well behaved boys…
Hashem Yerachem…
Lets be mispallel for a quick full recovery for all the injured.
“We” have to do teshuvah, “They” were only the korbonos…
when a tragedy hits it hurts
but when it hits home / close to you
you feel the impact more
Shais Rosenblatt
is a VERY Chusuva yingrman here in Monsey
to whoever knows him
and there is no words that could describe a loss as this
to a Father, Family & Friends
One Dead, 12 Injured in Summer Camp Van Accident
ARGYLE TOWNSHIP, Maine (AP) — A summer camp’s van pulling a trailer loaded with canoes overturned on a highway Monday, killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring 12 other people, authorities said. Two were in critical condition.
It took at least seven ambulances to transport all of the victims to hospitals after the van overturned and came to a rest upright at about 7 a.m., said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The van, identified as being from a summer camp in Bethel, N.Y., was carrying 11 boys from 14 to 18 years old and two counselors.
Two of the victims were critically injured, McCausland said. The boy who died was identified as Gedalya Rosenblatt, who studied at Shaarei Arazim of Monsey, N.Y., said Eli Moskovitz, one of the directors in Spring Valley, N.Y.
Members of Bangor’s Jewish community went to the hospital to comfort victims, who were from different yeshivas but came together for camp.
The teenagers were making the trip to Maine so the campers could canoe the Penobscot River and hike Mount Katahdin, McCausland said. Katahdin is the state’s tallest mountain and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
After the crash, one of the northbound lanes of I-95 at the site was closed for six hours as the van, five canoes and debris were removed, McCausland said. A team of state troopers was investigating the accident.
Word spread quickly through New York’s Orthodox Jewish community.
A private plane left from New York’s Long Island to retrieve the victim’s body for burial within 24 hours in keeping with Jewish custom, according to Vos Iz Neias, a blog that describes itself as “The Voice of the New York Orthodox Jewish Community.”
According to bangor news TV
State Police say the camper who died in the crash was 15-year-old Gedalia Rosenblatt of Monsey, New York. They also said the driver of the van, Yehoshua Hoffman, was seriously injured. Hoffman was one of two camp counselors traveling with the boys. The other camp counselor and the 10 other campers in the van are reported to have varying degrees of injuries from mild to moderate.
The boys are from Rephoel Franklin’s camp by exit 104.He has a farm and boys come there to spend the summer.His son was also on the van.He is B”H more or less ok.The nifter’s fathers name is Shais Rosenblatt.Very Very nice family.
“You are going to tell Hashem what to do ? You are the balabus ?
How about saying ‘Klal Yisroel, enough of aveiros, let’s do teshuvoh so we can be zoiche that Hashem will take us out of golus’ instead ?”
Abi g’ret. A little respect please.
One that I know of is from Flatbush.
where in monsey do they live?
where are the other boys from?
oi vey!
lets all accept not to talk L”H from now at least until the niftar is buried. If anyone can accept at least that, maybe that will be a zehcus for the injured boys as well as the niftar. Lets all do it
Hashem Yerachem!
“Ribbono Shel Olam. Enough of Galus!”
You are going to tell Hashem what to do ? You are the balabus ?
How about saying ‘Klal Yisroel, enough of aveiros, let’s do teshuvoh so we can be zoiche that Hashem will take us out of golus’ instead ?
How did the accident happen?
Ribbono Shel Olam. Enough of Galus!
A PLANE LEFT TEETERBORO AIRPORT TO MAINE TO DEAL WITH THE OTHER CRITICALLY INJURED PASSENGERS
I heard its Q6 from hatzalah’s plane.
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tehillim needed for yehoshua meshulum ben soro leah