A student/athlete from Kennedy Catholic High School was injured in a hiking accident on Mt. Si Saturday (Sept. 3), and had to be rescued by helicopter. The 15-year old student – a member of the school’s cross country team – fell 90 feet and hit his head. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. A second student – who was trapped but apparently not injured – had to be lowered by a rope by a rescue team. The two apparently fell from the “Haystack” feature at the popular climbing spot’s summit, where they were on an outing with the team. The injured hiker was found unconscious, but later regained consciousness on the helicopter. The school said that he is communicating and “doing well,” and that President Prato met his family at the hospital. The student’s identity has not yet been released. The school posted this note on its Facebook page:

Earlier today, during an organized cross country event at Mt. Si, two of our students were involved in an incident with one injured in a fall. After the student was reached by rescue crews and airlifted from the area, President Prato met the family at the hospital where the student is communicating and doing well. The other student was safely escorted down the trailhead. Our coaches, students and parent volunteers handled the situation with the utmost professionalism and remained calm throughout. They were well prepared with safety protocols and reacted quickly to contact emergency personnel. We are thankful to them and everyone who kept us in their prayers today and most especially to the rescue crews who aided our hikers during this situation.
More than 15 members of the Seattle Mountain Rescue team responded to the incident, along with local police and rescue workers. Mt. Si is a very popular spot, hiked each year by upwards of 100,000 people, according to the Washington Trails Association. It is located near North Bend: ]]>

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