Royersford teen killed in Lehigh Valley [updated]

A 16-year-old boy died Saturday in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Bethlehem, following an incident at the Dutch Springs scuba diving park in Lower Nazareth Township.

An autopsy was performed this morning on Kyle Kulp of Royersford. Kulp was diving with his father and a group, according to Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim. Grim said determination of the cause and manner of death is pending an investigation and toxicology test results.

Kyle was a student at Spring-Ford High School. He began attending the school on April 4 after transferring from the Daniel Boone Area School District in Berks County, according to Jessica Lester, a spokesperson for the school district.

"The Spring-Ford Area School District and high school community extends their heartfelt sympathies to Kyle's family at this very difficult time, and will keep Kyle and his friends and family in their thoughts and prayers," .

Kyle's death was announced to students Monday morning and grief counseling services were made available through the school's guidance department, the district said.

Friends and associates of Kyle began leaving condolences Sunday at a Facebook page erected in his memory.

This is the third death in five years stemming from a diving accident at Dutch Springs.

Divers can descend as deep as 100 feet in the spring-fed quarry that draws thousands of adventurers every year.

In 2009, Paula Brodie, 47, of White Haven, Pa., drowned at the park. Her death was ruled an accident. Coroner Scott Grim said Brodie suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen caused by accident.

The following details were reported by the Easton Express-Times:

Brodie's dive partner said they had gone down 10 to 15 feet when Brodie became distressed. Upon surfacing, Brodie was having trouble breathing even when her partner tried to give her oxygen. Her partner then called for help.

Brodie had 10 months of diving experience, Hammer said. It was not clear if she had been diving that day prior to the accident.

Two men were hospitalized in separate diving incidents in 2008 but both recovered. There were two deaths at Dutch Springs in 2007.

Funeral services for Kyle were scheduled for Friday morning at the in Royersford.

Nazareth Patch editor Mallory Vough also contributed to this report.

[Editor's note: The Spring-Ford Area School District initially said that Kyle Kulp began attending school in the district in March. He actually began attending school there on April 4. The article has been updated to reflect this information.]