A Fathers Love!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Hinckley double tragedy: 14-year-old dies after sledding crash, father dies at hospital

A teen who was injured in a sledding accident at the Hinckley Reservation in Medina County last Saturday has died, just days after her father died of a heart attack accompanying her at the hospital.

Eirelyn Zuercher, 14, of Akron, died Wednesday night at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Her father, Jared Zuercher, 40, who had gone to the hospital with his daughter, died of a heart attack on Saturday night, the girl’s mother said in a Facebook post.

Eirelyn Zuercher attended Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley.

School spokesperson Rocky Lewis described her as “a deeply kind and loving person, an incredible big sister, a talented artist and a treasured student in our school.”

Eirelyn Zuercher was planning to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, which offered its support.

On Wednesday, Eirelyn, who is an organ donor, was taken off of life support, according to her mother.

“Last night, Eirelyn saved the world for five individuals. Her spirit lives on through the gift of organ donation,” Eirelyn’s mother wrote on Facebook.

More:Two hospitalized in two days at Hinckley Reservation

“I am so grateful for the support I have received since the tragic accident,” Eirelyn’s mother said in a statement to Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland. “The staff at MetroHealth and Lifebanc graciously carried my family through some of the most difficult hours of our lives. It is a gift to know that my daughter’s generous spirit will carry on through the lives of organ donor recipients.”

Second injured teen still in ICU

On Sunday, Natalie Wilson, 17, of Medina, broke her back on the same hill, leaving her partially paralyzed.

Her father, Jim Wilson, said Friday that his daughter was still hospitalized in the intensive care unit at MetroHealth Medical Center. He said her paralysis is not as concerning as some other conditions she is suffering.

“We had another little scare this morning. She had some heart arrhythmias,” he said. “All is well now.”

He said the accident broke her back at the fifth and sixth thoracic vertebra, an area between the lower part of the scapula bones.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account, which had generated more than $11,000 of its $25,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. Natalie had been a studying cosmetology at the Medina County Career Center.

Details about the hill

The Hinckley Reservation is operated by Cleveland Metroparks, which said in a statement Monday it would look into any safety issues at the hill.

“Our thoughts are with the families impacted by the sledding incidents that occurred over the weekend. We are looking into the incidents and the circumstances around these tragic events,” said Jacqueline Gerling, director of communications for the Cleveland Metroparks.

The park district did not respond to questions placed later in the week regarding whether there are plans to modify or close the hill.

Hinckley Fire Chief Jestin Grossenbaugh said last week’s incidents were by far the most serious he had ever seen in his 24 years with the township. He said most of the other injuries consisted of scrapes and some broken bones.

“We thought they were going to close it down; they did not close it down,” he said Friday, adding he was informed Monday that the hill is going to remain open for sledding.

“They were telling me the CEO was going to call but never did and then later in the day I heard they were not going to shut the hill down, and that’s where we were with communications with the Metroparks,” Grossenbaugh said.

Grossenbaugh said park rangers at the scene, among others, discussed whether some sort of barrier should be placed on the hill to prevent people from veering off into the trees.

“Someone said ‘What about hay bales?’ I’ve never really thought about designing a barrier, so I’m not going to speak on that,” he said. “I don’t know what would help. I don’t know if it would be better or worse to put a barrier up there.”

‘It can go bad real quick’

Jim Wilson said his daughter had called him around 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, immediately after the accident.

“She’s screaming and hollering she can’t feel her legs, she can’t feel her legs,” he said. “She was laying on the ground at the bottom of the hill … she just cruised off the path and most likely hit a tree.”Your stories live here.Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it.Create Account

He said his family has been sledding on the hill for 10 years “and never had so much as a scrape.”

“I think some simple barriers would make all the difference in the world,” he said. “It’s a problem on that hill that we’ve always known about … there’s always the potential with the sled to kind of veer to the right as you head down the hill to veer toward the treeline.

“If you make it down, it’s one of the funnest rides in the world, but if something goes wrong, it can go bad real quick.”