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NRHS STUDENTS WITNESS TRAGEDY
Last weekend, two se- the crash because it wasn’t uncommon for people vere injuries occurred to run into trees. “The other two girls got up from at Hinckley Hill. In two the sled and looked very upset and started screamseparate sled riding ac- ing for help,” said Noelle. That’s when she and her cidents, a 14 and 17 year-old girl friends ran over to provide aid. The girl at the front both sustained life-threatening of the sled was in shock. About an inch or so of injuries and were hospitalized. wood protruded from her left eye. Hinckley Hill at- The NRHS stutracts a variety of dents called out local thrill-seekers for help, quickand usually leaves ly attracting a a handful of un- man with medical fortunate riders training and the with a few scrapes, girl’s father. Noelle bruises, or bro- and another stuken bones. These dent began runback-to-back ning up the hill, accidents have stopping sled ridcalled the safety of ers so they didn’t Hinckley Hill into collide with the question. accident scene or
A group of paramedics. NaNRHS seniors at than stayed with the base of the the girl and then hill witnessed the assisted a group first accident in- of people to carry volving the 14 her to a safer locayear-old. They tion. were also some “Three of us of the first indi- carried her across viduals to provide the bottom of the aid. Among these hill and to the seniors was NHS parking lot,” said Parliamentarian Nathan. “The Nathan Weagraff girl appeared to and President of the National The scene of the accident at Hinckley Hill. be going in and out of consciousArt Honor Society, Noelle ness as we moved her from Kostyack. the sled to the ambulance
Their sledding experience started off pretty stretcher.” normal. “We had been there for a couple of hours... Thankfully, paramedics and police arrived when a group of three teen girls on a sled…crashed quickly and were able to get the 14 year-old girl to into the trees and sharp brush lining the hill,” said a hospital. Her current condition is unknown. Nathan. “I was terrified,” said Noelle. As a lifeguard at
Noelle said she wasn’t overly concerned about the Broadview Heights Rec Center, she deals with
minor injuries on a regular basis and has even had to call 911 a few times. She had never seen anything as graphic or severe as this. Nathan felt similarly; as a skier, he’s seen his share of grim accidents. However, usually it’s ski patrol providing aid, not him. Hinckley Hill remained open after the accident on Saturday. On Sunday, paramedics rushed a 17-year-old girl to the hospital after she crashed into the treeline on the right side of the hill (much like the previous accident). According to a Facebook post by the girl’s mother, the 17 year-old underwent emergency surgery to repair damages to her spine and spinal cord. The girl currently has several screws in her spine and cannot feel anything below her chest.
“If she doesn’t improve even slightly in the next few days then odds are she won’t [ever],” wrote her mother. In the same post, she acknowledged the 14 year-old’s injury the day before and said she wished “they would have closed [Hinckley Hill] sooner.”
Cleveland Metropark and local emergency service officials both commented on the incidents. Hinckley Fire Chief Jestin Grossenbaugh said he had never seen such severe injuries on Hinckley Hill. Of course, people have sustained serious injuries while sledding at Hinckley, but the severity of a concussion or a scraped knee pales in comparison to these last two incidents.
Jaqueline Gerling, director of communications for the Cleveland Metroparks, made a statement about the incidents. She expressed her concern for the victims and their families. “We are looking into the incidents and the circumstances around these tragic events,” said Gerling.
“What are they expecting to find?” said Nathan in response to Gerling’s statement. “It’s a snow covered hill surrounded by woods.” In his opinion, these incidents, while extremely tragic, are bound to happen. Nathan believes some kind of warning sign could be posted to inform parents and riders about how dangerous sledding at this location can be. Parents and adult riders must accept that “there is a slim chance they could be injured or killed” when they decide to sled ride, said Nathan.
Noelle believes the condition of the sledding hill should be monitored to prevent future injuries. She described the hill as particularly slippery and rough in some areas. This could have been caused by the packed snow melting and refreezing over the weekend, creating an especially dangerous sheet of ice over the hill.
“I want to know what [the park service] is doing to look into it,” said Noelle in response to Gerling’s statement. “Are they closing the hill for now, are they monitoring it more, or are they putting restrictions on…the time it’s open?”
Cleveland Metroparks has not indicated how they plan on handling Hinckley Hill’s conditions. Noelle suggested that the park service create some kind of barrier between the hill and the tree line. There is a berm on the left side of the hill to prevent sled riders from hitting people walking up the hill.
“I feel like a similar structure on the side of the forest would make a big difference,” said Noelle. “I really hope the girls are okay. I’m sending love out to them and their families.”
