7th Grader dies on Field Trip to Mt Washington

[Mike]

Middle School Student Dies On Trip To White Mountains
Girl Was Attending Program At AMC Lodge

POSTED: 12:17 pm EDT March 20, 2007
UPDATED: 6:04 pm EDT March 20, 2007

AMHERST, N.H. -- A seventh-grader from Amherst Middle School has died on a field trip to the White Mountains.

Link to story

 

[dug]

Our school system in Bedford, the town next door, has been sending 8th-graders on a backpacking trip for something like 35 years to Cardigan in October. I went myself back in the early 80's. Fortunately, there's never been an incident like this. Remarkably few injuries, but the whole trip has come under fire occasionally. I fear the negative feedback from this will cause the trip to come under review, again.

That being said, what a terrible thing to happen. I heart goes out to the family and friends of this girl and everyone associated with the Amherst School System.

 

[alpinista]

That is incredibly sad. I feel for her family and classmates. I'd be curious what happened, though from the sound of it, reading between the lines, it could have been some sort of pre-existing heart issue that had gone undetected.

 

[Artex]

That is very sad. Must agree with Alpinista. Sounds like a pre-existing condition. I don't think too many people will think it was directly from hiking and blame that as death, at least based on what's being reported so far.

 

[Stan]

How tragic. My heart and prayers go out for this family. Some friends of ours lost a young son and, even though it was not as unexpected (he had a known heart defect), they said their biggest consolation was that there could be nothing worse that could happen to their lives.

My son participated in this program when he was in junior high. He loved it as did most of his classmates. Experiential learning is valuable and many wholesome lessons are learned in such a setting. It would compound the tragedy to blame the program, not to say there aren't lessons to be learned from this sad event.

 

[Puck]

These events are truely tragic and for many the worst case scenario. You hear about kids collapsing during hockey games or other events. It is usually a congenital problem. Still very hard hitting. Indeed a time for prayers and thoughts.

 

[Dream Catcher]

Every day is your last day.

Living is a terminal disease.

I'm sorry this happened. Most likely, some latent, underlying & hidden condition will be found. That make it easier, hardly.

What is an answer? Never stop living.

 

[woodstrider]

Death of a young girl

My heart goes out to the parents and relatives and school mates and teachers of this young girl.