14-year-old boy in critical condition after falling into Kiski River near Roaring Run trailhead
A 14-year-old boy was in critical condition after having a medical emergency and falling into the Kiski River Saturday, a Kiski Township police officer said Sunday.
The boy, whose name was not released, was being treated at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Patrolman Colton Howard said.
First responders were called around 2:45 p.m. Saturday to the Roaring Run trailhead off of Canal Road, Howard said.
Howard did not know where the boy was from. No information on the nature of his medical emergency was provided on Saturday.
On Sunday, Apollo-Ridge School District Superintendent Courtney Anderson posted a letter to the district website. “The Apollo-Ridge School Community is coping with a very tragic event that occurred over the weekend,” the letter began. “We will have counselors available this week, with a heavy focus at the secondary level. They will provide a safe space for students to process their feelings and to receive guidance on how to manage questions, worries and emotions that may surface.”
Two other children and eight adults were with him and had helped pull the boy out of the water, Howard said.
It was not known how long the boy had been in the water, Howard said. CPR was already in progress when police arrived, and was continuing when he was taken from the scene by Oklahoma-Vandergrift Ambulance.
A representative of the ambulance company could not be reached for comment.
Police were investigating what had happened, Howard said.
“We would like to thank all fire and EMS personnel, as well as the residents, (for) their assistance,” Howard said Sunday.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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