Pregnant Santa Barbara teacher dies while hiking in Greece
A pregnant Santa Barbara woman fell to her death while hiking in Greece during the holidays.
According to the Greek Reporter, 33-year-old Clara Thomann fell about 164 feet from a canyon on the Greek island of Crete on December 23.
After her partner called for help, emergency personnel rescued her from the ravine and took her to a nearby medical facility and then to Chania General Hospital. She suffered multiple fractures to her skull and chest, and her unborn child died in the autumn, according to Greek Journalist and another local news agency, Nea Kriti.
Thoman, a science teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, was pronounced dead on Dec. 29, according to news outlets.
“The damage to Clara was insurmountable and she was declared brain dead… We are heartbroken,” her family wrote in a post on Care Bridge.
Her organs, including kidneys, liver and corneas, were donated, according to a statement issued by Chania General Hospital.
Tommen traveled with her partner Elliot Finn during the holidays. The couple lives in Goleta. Dos Pueblos High School Principal Bill Woodard expressed condolences on the death of his beloved teacher.
“There are no words to describe the sadness we feel,” Woodard told Santa Barbara news website Noozhawk. “Multiple Sclerosis. Thoman was a very kind, great teacher who loved her students and loved science. Our hearts are broken for her family and all of us who feel this loss.”