DATE: Wednesday, August 6, 1997             TAG: 9708060426

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DOMINIC PERELLA, ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: FORT A.P. HILL                    LENGTH:   55 lines

BOY SCOUT DIES IN ACCIDENT AT JAMBOREE

A 16-year-old Boy Scout who was killed after he flipped an Army Humvee at a Scout Jamboree was not supposed to be driving the transport vehicle, Scout officials said on Tuesday.

Robert Combes, a Scout and Jamboree staff member from Finleyville, Pa., was driving on an uneven gravel road Monday evening when he lost control, drove into a ditch and turned over, state police Sgt. Tony Lippa said. Combes was not wearing his seat belt.

Combes had only a learner's permit, was two years younger than the Scouts' age minimum for Humvee drivers and had not been trained. Greg Shields, spokesman for Boy Scouts of America, said Scout officials do not know why the boy was driving or how fast he was going.

A Humvee is a wide-bodied military vehicle that replaced the Jeep.

Three 18-year-old passengers were hospitalized after the crash, Lippa said.

David Lipsom of Moon Township, Pa., broke his collarbone and suffered a concussion. He was taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where he was in good condition.

Nathaniel Searls, of Sioux City, Iowa, was treated for minor injuries and released. David Lundstrom, of Rockford, Ill., had no injuries and was released after observation.

All four boys were youth staff members at the National Jamboree, a quadrennial gathering of Boy Scouts from around the nation. Staff members are allowed to use the Humvees to transport supplies, but only if they have a license, are 18 or older and have passed a training course on the vehicle.

Most of the boys - and some of the adult leaders - had not received word of the accident. Neal Moorehouse, 16, of Baltimore, was one of only a few Scouts who had.

``I think it was pretty crazy that youth staff are allowed to drive around in hummers,'' he said. ``I think it was even crazier that they are allowed to do it at night. I think they should only have it for adults.''

Most of the 30,000 Scouts were packing up to leave Wednesday, the final day of the Jamboree.

Josh Odom, 14, of Lawrenceville, Ga., spent part of the morning on the phone with his parents. He said he wasn't quite ready to go.

``I'd like to stay,'' he said. ``Trading patches is fun.''

Other Scouts were looking forward to the comforts of home.

``We're happy as sin to go,'' said Jeff Carroll, 17, of Easton, Mass. ``I had a great time, but the bathrooms stink and so does the food.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boy Scout Robert Combes of Finleyville, Pa., delivers ice from the

back of a Humvee on July 28 at the Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P.

Hill. Combes, 16, died Monday when this vehicle turned over while he

was driving. KEYWORDS: BOY SCOUT JAMBOREE FATALITY ACCIDENT

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