Amish youth, 17, drowns in southeastern Pa. creek

PEQUEA, Pa. (AP) - June 15, 2009 The Lancaster County coroner says 17-year-old Mervin Petersheim, of Manheim, was with a group of teens walking along the Tucquan Creek around 12:30 p.m. Sunday when the water suddenly dropped from a depth of about two feet to 15 feet.

The coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, says Petersheim did not know how to swim. His friends tried to help and summoned a nearby fisherman who performed CPR, but neither he nor emergency crews were able to revive the teenager.

The coroner says it was the third accidental death among the Amish in that area in seven days. Last week, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old were killed by moving vehicles in separate accidents.

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